


Hidden In Their Shadows: Origins

by Bokuto-san (Lady_Lightning)



Series: Haikyuu Omegaverse [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Bokuto Koutarou, Alpha Kuroo Tetsurou, Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Alpha Ushijima Wakatoshi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Murder, Basically everyone has been fucked over by their parents, Big Gay Love Story, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Emotional Support, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Multiple ships, Omega Akaashi Keiji, Omega Kozume Kenma, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Tendou Satori, Omega Verse, Partners make everything better, Physical Abuse, Temporary Amnesia, We Just Love Each Other, all gay~, mostly in the UshiTen chapter, violence will get real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 41,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27822859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Lightning/pseuds/Bokuto-san
Summary: Navigate the world of Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics with Bokuto, Akaashi, Daichi, Sugawara, Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Tendou, Ushijima, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Yaku, Lev, Kuroo, and Kenma(and more) as they fight against the prejudice against the new dynamics- Alpha's and Omega's- forming in the world.They plan to change the world, in any way they can, by any means necessary. Will they be able to do it?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: Haikyuu Omegaverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036056
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	1. Bokuto and Akaashi

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will focus on a different relationship until each of the ship's origins are covered, then I will move to a new story that will involve all of them developing, learning, and changing the world that is prejudiced against them.
> 
> Chapters will range in length depending on what I can come up with for each ship. I know certain characters better than others, after all.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

“Alphas- 25% of the world’s population. Omegas- 15% of the world’s population. Betas- 60% of the world’s population. While the rates increase slowly as the generations continue, the rarity of omega and alpha children are still frowned upon. This affects the children who are born with their secondary gender. They are raised in an environment that shuns the idea of a change in human biology. Betas are the majority- many are raised to be disgusted by the new change, they are unaware that the world is developing around them. That development won’t stop because of their hatred, nor will it change the fact that people cannot choose to present with a secondary gender. Intolerance toward those with secondary genders gets worse even as their numbers grow. Inevitably, one day- soon or in the future… a whole generation will present with secondary genders. What will happen to our youth if the views on Alpha, Omega, and Beta dynamics doesn’t change?”

~~~

Bokuto had presented officially at 16. He had hated every minute of it, but in the end, it hadn’t changed who he was. He was an Alpha- but he was still Bokuto Kōtarō. He was still a volleyball player, still a high schooler. He was still terrified of his parents- desperate for their approval.

They hadn’t spoken to him since he had presented. They were both Betas, just like the generations before Kōtarō. It hadn’t been his choice, but they seemed not to care. Their support left him as soon as his Alpha instincts had kicked in. They provided him food and a place to sleep- not in their own house of course- anything to get him away from them. They’d bought him an apartment close to Fukurodani Academy. They gave him a card with funds that transferred to him once a week.

They no longer went to his volleyball games. They no longer asked him how school was going, nor what his plans for the future were. They didn’t care as long as he wasn’t in their hair. He half of the time wondered why they didn’t kick him out and leave him on the streets. Why pay for his food and housing if they hated him so?

His haven was Volleyball. His team. He became the Ace after his first year. His second year was now starting and they were going to be welcoming new blood this year. He made plans for his school. He was a volleyball player... but he was going to make sure that everyone like him- everyone with a secondary gender, knew that people would support them.

He was going to go pro- to show to everyone that his secondary gender, as well as anyone else’s- didn’t make them inferior. As generations continued, the new biology would overturn the betas. Things would change- but unfortunately, that was too far away to wait for. He was going to take action.

He trained. All day. All night.

~~~

His first day of practice in his second year was a little on the rough side. It was nothing about the practice itself. It was his Alpha senses that were the problem. Beta’s didn’t have a scent gland- so they didn’t smell like anything in particular. He could smell other Alphas and Omegas. He couldn’t tell who was who just yet- most of the scents were young and not fully developed- unpresented scents he figured. There were a lot of young, underdeveloped scents at his school. He wondered if the percentage was really accurate, or if the rates for presenting were getting higher now that teens were of age to finally present.

He could smell the Alphas- older ones- even ones that had presented only a bit before he had. They were still young scents but, nevertheless, once fully developed and presented- he was able to tell. It was the same for Omegas. He hadn’t encountered a single omega yet- at least not that he knew. Underdeveloped scents were still confusing for him and he hadn’t been around a fully presented Omega.

Someone was in the process of presenting. He could smell them. He wondered if whoever it was- could smell him too. He wasn’t sure if he liked the scent or if it made him nauseous. It was calm- yet it was exciting. The scent was giving him whiplash. 

He had decided not to tell his teammates of his secondary gender. While it was on file with the school, it was up to Bokuto to tell people about it. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he could tell them, everyone he knew was open-minded about the secondary genders. They all knew it wasn’t a choice, unlike the generations before them. Anyone else that could possibly present would know as soon as they did that he was an Alpha. It was rare to be in a school with another person who presented, so for now he was pretty safe. Betas couldn’t smell him, most of the time Alphas and Omegas could hide in with the Betas pretty well.

There were a few other differences like the raised skin near their scent glands but as long as those were covered, Betas couldn’t really tell who were Alphas or Omegas. That made it so much easier for Bokuto to hide- not wanting people to know his dynamic. He wasn’t going to let it stop him from doing what he had planned, though that didn’t mean he was going to tell people. If he did, he was sure it would only cause more trouble.

That scent brought him back to reality. It was slowly getting stronger. Whoever was presenting would probably be fully presented by tomorrow from what the scent was telling him. It was getting stronger and fast. He paid it no mind- moving to continue practice with their new setter.

~~~

Bokuto noticed almost instantly that the person who had presented had started covering their scent. Either that or they left. He could almost guarantee it was scent blockers, though. He wasn’t sure who presented, nor did he know what their dynamic was. It was more likely that an Alpha had presented than an Omega. 

Just the thought of an Omega being in his midst excited his Alpha. Someone who he could relate to would be amazing. It wasn’t the thought of possibly having a mate. It was the possible camaraderie that the Alpha or Omega could bring. They would be able to support each other if only they would come tell Bokuto who they were.

Bokuto didn’t use scent blockers- he was an Alpha but his parents also refused to buy him the scent blockers, saying that people needed to be able to ‘smell his shame’. Bokuto paid it no mind, most people wouldn’t be able to smell him anyway.

Bokuto was intrigued. He wanted to know who had presented. He wanted to support them in what he was sure was a difficult time for them. Unfortunately, whoever it was- was hiding from him.

~~~

Bokuto had become a close friend with his new teammate Akaashi. His quiet but powerful demeanor was the opposite of Bokuto’s loud boisterous nature. Both were commanding and demanding of respect and attention. Bokuto really enjoyed being around Akaashi.

There was one thing that threw him about the new setter, though. 

No matter the day, or what the kid wore- Bokuto couldn’t smell him at all. It was like he was using scent blockers to the max. From what Bokuto could tell, Akaashi was just a Beta, but even then- he would smell like SOMETHING.

Betas- even without a scent gland still had some sort of scent, individual to each person. Akaashi’s scent just wasn’t there. Bokuto wanted to know why. Akaashi was certainly the quiet type, so he couldn’t just come right out and ask, let alone such a weird question, no matter how blunt the kid would answer.

“AGHAASHIIIIIII,” Bokuto yelled, “Let’s have lunch together!”

“Bokuto-san, you ask that every day and every day you join me for lunch,” Akaashi pointed out quietly. He was curious why the second year would decide to have lunch with him instead of the other second years but he also found he didn’t mind the company, even if Bokuto was an Alpha.

Keiji could smell Bokuto’s pheromones, not that he was purposefully releasing them. There was just a general scent that always came from Bokuto, he could make it more intense by choice but Bokuto always smelled like Alpha. It was a pleasing scent. It was energizing, and crisp, kind of like fresh winter air and a slight hint of pine.

Keiji just pulled out his lunch and listened to the young Alpha go on about volleyball and the ‘boring classes’ they forced him to take even when they were ‘just a distraction’ from volleyball. Keiji snickered in his head as he continued to eat his sandwich.

~~~

Keiji was tired after practice. He was also dreading walking into his home. He didn’t want to see his father. He didn’t want to look at his mother even just knowing that she refused to help him even when she knew it was the right thing to do. She was just too terrified to act against the monster that lived with them.

Unfortunately, especially for Keiji- that meant a lot of dread and pain. His father had loved him once but that stopped when Keiji presented. His mother and father were both Betas. He wasn’t sure why they hadn’t kicked him out- that seemed to be the most common thing for teens after presenting. 

He saw a few kids here and there who he knew didn’t have anywhere to go after presenting. He saw them wandering the streets, just lost. Keiji dreaded a fate like that. He wasn’t sure why his father hadn’t kicked him out yet and that didn’t stop Keiji from thinking that being homeless would be better than living with that man and his defenseless mother. 

And yet… Keiji stayed. He didn’t want to leave his mother, he knew that she loved him, even if she was too terrified to defend him. He wondered how Bokuto had to live. Were his parents supportive even though he was an Alpha? Did they hit him? Did they care for him? Did Bokuto even live with his family? Was Bokuto homeless? 

There were so many things that Keiji had really wanted to know about Bokuto. Bokuto made him feel safe, the presence of an Alpha made him feel safe. That was one of the few things he hated the most about his secondary gender. Just the presence of someone like him- made him feel one hundred times better than thinking that he was alone.

~~~

Keiji slinked off to his room, tears streaming down his face. His whole body was in pain. He had bruises just about everywhere. His father definitely hadn’t gone easy on him. The pain was intense as he slowly lowered his sore body onto his bed. He was skipping dinner again, too tired, and knowing that his father wouldn’t be giving him anything to eat as long as he was present.

If this kept going, Keiji was sure he was going to drop weight. He’d already lost a couple of pounds in the past week from loss of sleep and food alone. He let out a sigh. He’d shower in the morning. He closed his eyes and went straight to sleep.

~~~

Bokuto walked into his empty apartment and sighed. He missed being home. He missed his parents loving him. He missed their endless support of who he was and where he wanted his life to go. They had supported him when he had told them that he was Bisexual, so why hadn’t they been able to support him when something else like this happened? He couldn’t control it.

He made himself dinner, did his homework, showered, and went to sleep. There wasn’t much for him to do these days other than volleyball. There were no more family dinners, no more walks with his mother. No more watching sports with his dad. There was nothing except for the cold, lonely apartment he had been banished to.

~~~

Weeks turned into months and soon enough their third term of the year was starting. Bokuto had been watching Keiji like a hawk. Keiji looked so tired, so weak and pale. He looked like he had dropped weight. His coloring was almost gone, and his eyes had huge bags under them.

“Akaashi,” Bokuto called out after practice, approaching his teammate. “You look like you’re about to fall over. Let me walk you home,” He grabbed Akaashi’s bag and started to lead the smaller boy from the gym.

“Bokuto-san I can make it home myself,” Keiji said tiredly.

“You literally look like a medium force wind could knock you over. I’m walking you home.” Bokuto said firmly. Keiji made a face of discomfort but put forth no further resistance to the escort.

Soon enough they were walking up the steps to Akaashi’s front door. “Want me to help you inside? You really don’t look well,” Bokuto asked in a surprisingly soft tone. 

“That’s okay, Bokuto-san. I’ll be alright,” Keiji replied as he sighed. He took his bag and went into his house, quickly closing the door. Bokuto just stood there for a few minutes. His Alpha was screaming at him not to leave, his feet were stuck to the porch.

Within minutes of standing there, dazed on the porch, he started to hear yelling. He moved to peek through a window in time to see something be thrown, hitting Akaashi dead on. He heard a yelp as Akaashi fell back, slowly moving back as who Bokuto assumed was his father approached with an angry expression. 

He could see a woman, presumably Akaashi’s mother- peeking through an open doorway to the kitchen. She looked just as terrified as Bokuto assumed he did. He watched as the man grabbed Akaashi by the shirt, ripping him off the ground. The look on his face was of pure, unbridled rage.

Bokuto saw red. He burst through the front door just as a fist connected with Akaashi’s jaw. He let out a loud growl as the door flung into the wall. Everyone turned when they heard the noise, wide eyes locking onto him. He looked to Keiji, who looked very disoriented.

“Put him down. NOW!” Bokuto growled, moving closer to the man to tower over him. He released his pheromones uncontrollably, Keiji instantly dropping to the floor as his father released his shirt, his tired body heavy against the carpet of his living room. Everyone in the room was having a hard time not responding to the pheromones that were usually undetectable.

Bokuto noticed that Keiji was finally free from the man’s grip. He threw one, single, harsh punch to his jaw, watching as the man fell to the ground from the impact. He looked to the woman with furious eyes, seeing her shaking. “Take him, please,” he heard her whisper. “keep him safe,” she finished, before watching Bokuto scoop Keiji up and carrying him out of the house. 

~~~

Bokuto had his arms tightly around Akaashi as he walked down the road to his apartment. He was unconscious when Bokuto had last checked. He was scared to look again, knowing that a big bruise was going to be developing.

Keiji’s face was pressed against his neck, almost like he was trying to bury himself in Bokuto’s scent. They were chest to chest, Bokuto carrying his sleeping form in a toddler-style carry. His breathing was deep, almost peaceful as Bokuto walked. 

Bokuto took this chance to scent mark him. He was going to make sure that everyone knew that Akaashi was under his protection. He continued the track back to his apartment, a protective hand on Akaashi’s back as he walked.

~~~

When Bokuto finally got back to his apartment, he went straight to the bathroom for the medkit. It seemed that Akaashi had a bloody nose from that punch he’d taken from his father. Bokuto set to cleaning him up, then moved to try to wake him.

“‘Kaashi? Hey,” Bokuto asked after he heard Keiji groan in response. “Hey, I need to get you cleaned up. You need a bath,” Akaashi nodded, moving to help Bokuto take his shirt off. Bokuto helped him lift his shirt over his head.

Akaashi’s eyes went wide when he heard a growl and smelt Bokuto’s pheromones. They were all protective but they were wafting around the room in waves. Keiji let out a whine as his eyes started to water. If he didn’t have scent blockers in his system, he was sure he’d be releasing pheromones like crazy.

His father insisted on keeping Keiji’s scent blocked out, as well as making him take heat suppressants. They all made him woozy- his doctor had recommended that he not take them for the first year after presenting so that his body could naturally regulate. His father had disregarded that whole recommendation, keeping his son drugged up and his other side suppressed.

None of that was good enough for him, and that had lead to beatings and no dinner for the past three months. He felt something wet hit his bare stomach and he looked up to see Bokuto crying. “I’m so sorry I didn’t know,” Bokuto sobbed. “I should have known. I should have protected you,”

“It’s not your fault, Bokuto-san. I didn’t tell anyone because I was too scared to know what would happen,”

“I would have protected you. I would have made sure that your body had never seen a single bruise, let alone dozens all across your body.” Bokuto was almost hysterical, Keiji was crying himself, the pheromones and pain far too much for him to handle. “There are going to be more under your pants, aren’t there?” Bokuto asked as he looked Keiji in the eyes.

All Akaashi could do in response was look away, “I’m okay, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto’s pheromones turned back to those of rage. “You are the furthest thing from okay, Keiji!” Bokuto yelled. He looked at Bokuto, unused to the informality. The pheromones Bokuto was releasing made Keiji’s Omega scream to submit, to please the Alpha in front of him. Even if he wanted to, with the scent blockers and heat suppressants running through his body, he wouldn’t be able to release a single pheromone.

“Boku-”

“No! Keiji! Listen to me! Nobody should ever be able to do this to you!” Bokuto lifted him from the floor and stood him in front of the floor-length mirror on the back of the door. “Look at yourself Keiji. You’re a mess!” Keiji started to cry again. “Nobody should have ever laid their hands on you! You are the most amazing person I’ve ever seen, so why do you think it’s okay for someone to do this to you?” Bokuto hugged him gently from behind. Keiji instantly relaxed with Bokuto’s pheromones surrounding him.

Bokuto helped Keiji into a bath, moving to help scrub him down. “I’m assuming you’re far too sore to do this all by yourself,” Bokuto had said. “Would you like some help?” Keiji hadn’t been able to reject him. He was far too calm and at peace in Bokuto’s presence to say no.

Bokuto’s pheromones would turn sour and angry every once in a while but Keiji tried to keep it from affecting him. He knew it was from seeing just how bad all the bruising was, especially on his back. Bokuto seemed to catch himself and reign in his anger enough to make sure that Keiji was comfortable.

“Why did he do it?” Bokuto whispered. “Why?”

Keiji froze at the question. He didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want Bokuto to know. Did Alphas look down on Omegas the way that Betas looked down on them both? Would Bokuto look down on him because he presented as an Omega? Keiji just shook his head. 

“Tell me when you’re ready?” Bokuto asked. “I just want you to be okay,” Keiji nodded, sinking into the hot water a bit to relax. “Alright, I’ll leave you be. I’ll pull out some spare pajamas for you. Tomorrow we will go grab your things from your house, okay?”

Keiji nodded. He couldn’t look Bokuto in the eye. Not with his damaged pride and his bruised body. He shouldn’t have let his father do the things he had. But he’d felt so broken, so lost, and confused. He hadn’t been sure what to do, let alone who he could go to about it.

He was thankful for Bokuto. Bokuto had been his haven.

~~~

When Keiji was done in the bath, he dried off and grabbed the clothes that Bokuto had placed on the bathroom counter. He was drowning in them. Bokuto’s clothes were so large that the shirt didn’t stay on his shoulders. The sweat pants were an easier fix because of the drawstring, but they were a little long on his legs. Bokuto wasn’t that much taller than him, but his legs were longer than Keiji’s.

He walked out of the bathroom and headed to where he was hoping the living room was. He hadn’t been very awake when he was carried in here. He could smell Bokuto as he walked closer to the kitchen and living room. His clothes also smelled heavily of the young Alpha.

He buried his nose in the collar of the shirt, rubbing the fabric against his cheek. Bokuto’s scent was comforting, he closed his eyes as he inhaled the scent. Bokuto was in the kitchen cooking when Keiji found him. He looked like he was cooking for a whole family with the amount of food in the pan.

“Um,” Keiji mumbled. “Where should I sleep?” he asked. 

“You need to eat first,” Bokuto said. 

Oh. Keiji had forgotten he hadn’t eaten. He supposed that is what happened when your father stopped feeding you dinner. It had been... three months, maybe? since he had been allowed to join his mother and father at the dinner table.

Keiji moved to sit down, not about to refuse a meal. He was starving and hadn’t eaten since lunch that day. Bokuto placed a huge bowl of fried rice in front of Keiji as well as an empty plate. Bokuto sat down with his own plate and started to serve them both.

Keiji instantly dug in. He noticed that Bokuto had just been watching the whole time. “How long has he kept food from you?” Bokuto asked.

Keiji swallowed his bite of rice. “Uh,” He coughed. “A few months? I only eat at school,” Keiji admitted quietly. He watched as Bokuto’s face turned red in anger. 

“What about on the weekends when you don’t have school?”

“Mom was allowed to give me lunch on Saturday and Sunday,”

Keiji’s shoulders hunched as Bokuto tossed his glass in anger, it shattered when it collided with the floor. “You must be fucking joking! Who would do that to their kid?” He raged. When he turned to look at Akaashi again, his anger instantly left his body, noticing the terrified look on his face. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to- sorry,” He said again, moving to sit back down. “I’ll get the glass later. Please, just eat,”

Keiji resumed eating after a few minutes, then quietly asked, “Why do you live alone?”

“A story for another time,” Bokuto told him. “I’ll get you some ibuprofen for the pain and swelling,” Bokuto said, taking a pill bottle off the top of the refrigerator.

“Actually, I can’t take those,” Keiji told him.

“Why not?”

“I can’t take them while taking my other prescriptions,” He said vaguely. He wasn’t going to mix the ibuprofen with his scent blockers and heat suppressants. He was already woozy from the malnutrition and the prescriptions, he wasn’t sure his body could handle more.

“Alright,” Bokuto said, returning the bottle to its place. “Well, we can go back to your place tomorrow to grab what you need. Did you leave your prescriptions there?”

“They’re in my school bag,” Keiji nodded. “I won’t need them until about noon tomorrow,” 

“Alright. We can go over there first thing in the morning. It’s kinda early but you look like you need a lot of sleep. I have a spare room but it’s not furnished right now. We can figure that out later but would you like to take my bed for tonight? I can use the couch,”

“You don’t need to give me your bed Bokuto-san,” Keiji said. 

“You’re not sleeping on the couch, ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto said. “Your body needs to sleep in a good bed. It’ll help with the pain if you can’t take any medication for it.”

“I don’t want to put you out of your bed,” Keiji told him.

“It’s fine ‘Kaashi. It’ll only be for a bit until we can get you settled into the other room,” Bokuto told him. “Let’s get you to bed, ‘Kaashi. You look like you’re going to fall asleep in your food,”

Keiji nodded, letting Bokuto lead him to the bedroom. Bokuto had a queen-sized bed and Keiji sunk right into it with an elated sigh and yawn. The bed was incredibly soft in comparison to the twin-sized bed that Keiji normally slept in.

He was mostly asleep as Bokuto pushed the blanket up to cover his shoulders. He could smell Bokuto’s protective scent wafting around the room and Keiji let out a soft purr in response, body relaxing fully as he fell asleep.

Bokuto watched Keiji for a few minutes, making sure he was asleep before finally leaving the room. He quietly closed the door, deep in thought. Had Akaashi been purring? He could have sworn that was what he heard as the setter was falling asleep.

He cast it out of his mind. He wasn’t sure what it was but right now, Akaashi getting better is what mattered. He wasn’t going to concern himself with anything else until he was sure Akaashi was in a good enough place to talk about it.

~~~

Bokuto woke up on the couch in the middle of the night, blazing hot and feeling something heavy on his chest. That warm something was moving, almost as if adjusting to get comfortable. “‘Kaashi?” Bokuto asked groggily.

The movement stopped, almost as if he was scared that he’d woken Bokuto up. “Are you okay, ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto asked softly, running his fingers through Keiji’s hair.

“I had a dream,” He heard the boy respond.

“Nightmare?” He felt Keiji nod. “Okay, let’s get you back to the bed,” Bokuto replied. Keiji whined.

“I’m fine here,”

“Well, I’m not. If you want me to join you, that’s fine, but not on the couch. It’s not big enough. The bed will work better,” Bokuto told him, taking Akaashi in his arms and dragging him back to the bedroom.  
He got Keiji settled back into the bed before crawling into the other side, facing Keiji as they laid there. He was still drowsy and didn’t think much of it when Keiji started to slowly move closer until he finally was close enough and put his nose in Bokuto’s neck, right near his scent glands.

Bokuto was already asleep so Keiji thought he’d be safe to finally enjoy his scent close up. He wormed his nose into the crook of Bokuto’s neck, directly above the scent gland, and inhaled deeply. The scent was dull, almost not there because Bokuto was finally asleep but it relaxed Keiji completely, no matter how dull it was.

He fell asleep peacefully, purring as Bokuto slept beside him.

~~~

Bokuto woke up with Akaashi wrapped around him, his face tucked away, hair tickling his cheek. He sighed, he liked having Keiji close. Whatever Keiji had been through was probably even rougher than Bokuto could possibly imagine. He was just glad that he knew Akaashi would finally be safe.

Bokuto stayed there for a while, just releasing pheromones and scenting Akaashi while he slept. He had a feeling that Keiji wouldn’t mind if Keiji could even smell his scent at all. After a while, he decided to get up and make breakfast.

He could feel himself releasing a calm, happy scent instinctively. He wasn’t sure if it would help Keiji relax, or if he would even be able to smell it, nor could he control it so he just went with the flow. Eventually, he’d learn how to control when his scent got released but for now it was a work in progress.

The whole apartment smelled like protective, happy, and calm Alpha by the time Bokuto finally heard Keiji walking into the kitchen. He turned to look at the sleep ruffled boy. The pheromones didn’t seem to be affecting him at all, Bokuto wasn’t sure he could even smell them.

When Keiji woke he swore he was drowning in Bokuto’s scent. Not only could he smell it all over his clothes but it was wafting through the air heavily. It was like Bokuto had purposely released a hefty amount of his pheromones.

They were calm, yet protective… happy. It was almost like he was trying to make sure that Keiji would wake up feeling as safe as possible. If that’s what he was going for… it had worked. Keiji wasn’t sure he’s ever woken up feeling so calm and safe.

After dozing for a few minutes, he started to smell something cooking and got up. The idea of food was majorly appealing to the now underweight teen. He’d dropped over twenty pounds after presenting, and he intended to gain it back in muscle and healthy amounts of body fat. 

He wanted to be back to where he was before. He wanted to be healthy and happy. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about his prescriptions, though. His father probably wouldn’t be buying his heat suppressants or scent blockers anymore.

He just got a refill, they should last about two months. Keiji was supposed to go off the heat suppressants at least once in a while to finally let his body go through a heat period if he wanted to stay healthy.

He’d been taking them for about nine months now, and he was told to let his body regulate once a year at the least if he wanted to make sure the pills remained effective while still keeping him healthy. Being on the suppressants meant that when he finally went off he knew for a fact that he’d be able to know exactly when his heat was coming, unlike if he didn’t take them at all. 

The scent blockers were completely different. He had to stop taking them during his heat periods as they wouldn’t be effective anyway but other than that he was able to take them as he needed. Keiji desperately wanted to keep taking the prescriptions, feeling it easier than actually letting his body naturally regulate the way an Omega should.

How would he afford them now? With his insurance, he knew that the suppressants and blockers were pretty cheap and he didn’t need a refill for a while. He wondered what Bokuto would think if he ever figured out what his prescriptions were for.

Deciding to worry about it later, he went out to meet Bokuto in the kitchen, excited for the eggs he could see in the frying pan along with the bacon on a plate with a paper towel. It was a simple breakfast and yet, it had been so long since Keiji had been able to eat breakfast that even the most unhealthy breakfast options had seemed appetizing.

“Hungry?” Bokuto laughed as he heard the growl of an empty stomach. “There’’s plenty of food, how do you like your eggs?” Bokuto asked.

“Any way is fine,” Keiji replied quietly, taking a piece of bacon and nibbling on it. 

Bokuto smiled and plated the scrambled eggs that he had been making. “What would you like to drink?”

“Milk?” Keiji asked.

“Okay,” Bokuto replied, grabbing it from the refrigerator and pouring it into a cup. “After breakfast, we can go to your house and grab anything you’ll need,” 

“Alright,” Keiji acknowledged. 

“I was thinking next week we could probably go get you a desk, dresser, and bed for the spare room, at least to start.”

“I don’t have any money to get things like those, Bokuto-san,” Keiji replied dejectedly.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Bokuto told him. “For now, we are going to get your things, and then we can come back here and relax. You still look dead on your feet,”

“A-alright,”

“Good thing it’s the weekend,” Bokuto mumbled into his plate of eggs. “You’ll have a good amount of time to catch up on sleep,” Keiji just listened as the Alpha mumbled, eating his breakfast in content.

~~~

Keiji was thankful that when he and Bokuto had gotten to his house that his parents were gone. They were probably out getting groceries like they normally did on Saturday mornings. He opened the door and instantly went to grab his school bag from near the garbage can where he was sure his father had thrown it.

Once he made sure his prescriptions were there, he moved to his bedroom, packing away his laptop, chargers and grabbing as many clothes as he could. Bokuto had brought a spare duffle and Keiji grabbed his volleyball duffle. He was able to shove the remainder of his clothes into those bags and grab some toiletries too.

Before long he heard the slamming of a car door. 

Shit.

His parents were back. Instantly, Keiji could smell the pheromones of an angered and protective Alpha. Bokuto removed his coat, shoving Keiji into it and zipping it up. Keiji wasn’t sure why until he could smell the Bokuto’s happy, calm, and protective pheromones on the inside of the jacket.

Oh. To help keep him calm? Or maybe so that anyone who could smell Bokuto’s pheromones would know not to come near him? Either way, Keiji calmed significantly as Bokuto threw both of the duffles over his shoulders and helped Keiji put the backpack on his own shoulders.

They walked into the living room and Keiji almost got dizzy with the conflicting calm and angered scents he could smell from Bokuto. They made eye contact with Keiji’s parents, Keiji’s father in specific was staring daggers at them. Bokuto was staring back just as fiercely. His father seemed to deflate a bit when he saw Bokuto and the look the Alpha wore.

Keiji’s mother stared longingly at him. He desperately wanted to give her one last hug but knew that if he did, it would only hurt her more. If his father even thought for a moment that she was supportive of Keiji, he wouldn’t hesitate to beat her the way he had beat Keiji for the last near nine months.

Keiji just walked out, not a word said as Bokuto followed him from his family home. He wondered how life would work for them now. How did Bokuto support himself? Did he support himself? Would he be able to support Keiji too? 

Maybe he should get a job or two to help?

“Don’t over-think things, ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto said, pulling him from the depths of his mind. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about anything other than healing and getting better,” 

“Okay,” Keiji quietly responded.

“Let’s go take a nap,” Bokuto said cheerfully. “Practice was long and hard this week, I could really use some more sleep,”

“Bokuto-san, you look like you have enough energy to run around the planet five times,” Keiji said flatly.

“Maybe,” Bokuto admitted. “But you need some sleep and I’m more than happy to lay next to you if that’s what you need,” Bokuto told him honestly.

“Thank you,”

Bokuto just wrapped his arm around Keiji’s shoulders like he always did when they walked together in the halls at school. “We’ll be okay,” Bokuto said again. Keiji was inclined to believe him. He really hoped they would be.

~~~

Two months later and Keiji had run out of his scent blockers and heat suppressants. They were on a break between their terms. Bokuto would be starting his third year and Keiji would be starting his second year soon.

Keiji was in the midst of a small panic attack, wondering how he would be able to get his hands on more suppressants and blockers. He had his own room now so if he went through a heat, he thought that maybe his scent would be dull enough that Bokuto wouldn’t suspect anything.

Then again, Bokuto could always seem to tell when Keiji was feeling even just a little bit off. It was like he could read into Keiji’s soul. Living with Bokuto was probably why he knew every single one of Keiji’s tells. 

They had been in the same apartment for about two full months and Keiji had loved every moment. He missed his mother, but he also loved being where he was now. He could go into Bokuto’s room in the middle of the night and crawl into bed with him and Bokuto wouldn’t question it.

He just welcomed Keiji with open arms and a drowsy smile. 

Keiji suspected he had about two days before his heat started. He already knew that the minute he stepped out of his room that Bokuto would be able to smell his scent. He was petrified. He still had no clue how Bokuto would react.

He heard a knock on his door and he swore he stopped breathing. “‘Kaashi?” He heard Bokuto ask through the door. “‘Kaashi you okay?” He could smell Bokuto’s worry through the door. He was positive at this point that Bokuto did nothing BUT worry for him.

Bokuto had been attentive and caring for the past few months since Keiji had moved in. It made Keiji feel loved and cared for but he also felt guilty for always worrying the young Alpha. “I-I’m okay,” Keiji spoke loud enough for Bokuto to hear him through the door. “I’m just tired, I think I’m just going to take a day to sleep,” 

“Okay,” Bokuto replied dejectedly. “Let me know if you need anything, ‘Kaashi,”

~~~

Akaashi had been living with Bokuto for two months and he already had gained back the weight he’d lost. He was back to his healthy weight and coloring. He seemed more at ease and relied on Bokuto when he felt anxious and had nightmares. Even the bruising had completely faded.

Bokuto would be lying if he tried to say he hadn’t gotten attached to the boy. Even his Alpha purred at the thought of spending time with Akaashi, which really confused him. Keiji didn’t show or put off the aura of an Alpha or an Omega.

He didn’t have a scent, nor did Bokuto think he had been taking suppressants or blockers. He was sure that Keiji was just a Beta. There were times when he thought otherwise, that Keiji had done something that had screamed Omega. There were times that he thought Keiji had purred, or come to him for the comfort only an Alpha could provide. 

He’d even tucked his nose against Bokuto’s scent glands multiple times. Bokuto was almost certain that Keiji knew he was an Alpha by now. He was glad that Keiji didn’t care, but he also thought that because of the way he and Keiji behaved around each other, especially with how Keiji acted around his scent and scent glands that Keiji really might be an Omega.

But Bokuto wasn’t the type to believe anything without confirmation. He wouldn’t believe that Keiji was anything but a Beta until Keiji told him otherwise. That didn’t mean he wasn’t suspicious of Keiji’s dynamic.

~~~

Keiji had been in his room for practically two days without food so Bokuto had decided to check in and make sure he didn’t need anything. Unfortunately, as soon as he walked into the room- after knocking without a response- Bokuto got a nose full of fully presented Omega. 

Keiji was a writhing pile of pain on his bed, panting. He was shivering, yet sweating. Bokuto first thought he was probably running a fever until he walked up to get a close look at Keiji. That’s when a wave of Omegan Heat pheromones hit his nose.

He instantly covered his mouth and nose, trying to keep his Alpha in check while making sure Akaashi was alright. “Akaashi?” He spoke, getting the Omega to meet his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Alpha,” Keiji whined. Bokuto could feel his control slipping. Keiji wasn’t just releasing the pheromones of an Omega in heat but also pheromones that screamed in terror and anxiety. As much as Bokuto felt aroused by the Omega in heat, his Alpha was more concerned with the pheromones of terror and anxiety.

“When did you go into heat? Why didn’t you tell me?” Bokuto asked as he started to release his calming, protective pheromones. He noticed that Keiji’s pheromones reduced in response as he finally calmed down. 

“Earlier,” Keiji replied honestly, still holding his stomach as it cramped in pain.

“Is this your first heat? It wouldn’t hurt this much if it wasn’t” Bokuto thought out loud.

Keiji nodded. He hadn’t ever gone into heat before. It felt awful. His stomach was cramping. His body was going between hot and cold flashes and his head was dizzy from all of the pheromones that he and Bokuto were releasing.

“Well, let’s start with getting you cleaned up,” Bokuto said, pulling the Omega from the bed. “Up you get,”

“Alpha-” Keiji whined, sticking his nose into Bokuto’s neck. He felt his shoulders loosen a bit from how tight they had originally been. He wanted the Alpha to make the pain in his body stop. His brain said no, to talk things out with Bokuto after his heat period was over. His instincts were screaming at him to submit, to let his Alpha take care of everything else.

“Keiji,” Bokuto said, noticing how Keiji responded. “You need to go take a bath,” He said. “You’ve been laying in dirty sheets all day. We need to get you clean and change your sheets, so, go get in the bath and I’ll take care of the rest,”

Keiji knew an Alpha command when he heard one, his body instantly moved to listen, to please the Alpha. He was a bit dazed by the Alpha command, but also relieved that Bokuto was somehow controlling himself around him while he was in heat.

Even his Omega was satisfied by just doing as his Alpha commanded. His heat even seemed to reduce, knowing that his Alpha was commanding him to do something else instead. He walked into the bathroom, enjoying the dazed feeling consuming his head instead of the heat-induced panic he had been feeling before Bokuto had walked in.

~~~

Bokuto walked into the bathroom as Keiji was bathing. He looked a lot calmer now that the Omega had been given something other than his heat to focus on. Bokuto had read in one of the research papers he’d found that when an Omega was in heat, an Alpha could give the Omega an Alpha Command and it would help the heat reduce, giving the Omega side something other than the heat instincts to follow.

Omegas were designed to respond to an Alpha just the way Alphas responded to Omegas. There were certain things Bokuto could do, like giving Keiji an Alpha Command to help reduce the heat instincts. If Bokuto gave an Alpha command while Keiji was in heat, it flooded Keiji’s brain with another type of hormones that would help Keiji’s Omegan instincts focus on something other than the Omegan heat hormones.

It was a dirty trick, one that wasn’t effective for completely shutting down an Omegan heat the way Bokuto could if he just satisfied the needs of the heat itself. Bokuto didn’t want to cross any lines. He’d have to talk with Keiji once the Omega’s heat was over. For now, he’d have to use whatever tactics he could to distract Keiji’s Omega from the fact that he was in heat.

He knelt down to help Keiji wash up, hoping that it would soothe the Omega and get him closer to sleep. Keiji sighed and let out a pleased hum. His body felt cooler now that he was through one of his heat phases. 

Bokuto knew it was far from over but he was happy that Keiji’s body was giving him a break. If he recalled correctly, because it was Keiji’s first heat, even though it would be an ‘unsatisfied heat’- should only last around two or three days. 

They tended to start off short and for some Omegas they could get longer as time went on until they reached about a full week, or they could stay at two or three days in length. It really all depended on the Omega. He wondered how long Keiji’s would last.

“How are you feeling,” Bokuto asked in a whisper, hoping to keep Keiji calm.

“Worn out,” Keiji mumbled honestly.

“That would be because of the heat. They take a lot of energy. Thankfully it seems like one of your heat rounds for this heat period has ended. I’m sure another will hit soon but I got your bed sheets changed and ready.” Bokuto told him.

“How do you know so much about this?” Keiji asked.

“I did plenty of research when I presented as an Alpha,” Bokuto told him. “I wanted to make sure that if I ever came across another Alpha or especially an Omega, that they could trust and rely on me to help them if they needed and wanted it,” Bokuto told him.

“Oh,”

“I have nesting blankets in your closet,” Bokuto admitted. “Something told me you might need them one day so they’ve been sitting there on the shelf ready to go,” he continued. “Now I’m glad I took the incentive,”

Keiji nodded. He had no clue that Bokuto had thought of things like that. Now, he was seeing just how attentive the young Alpha was. It was the most endearing thing Keiji thinks he’s ever seen.

“You said your heat started today and that it was your first heat?” Bokuto asked. Keiji nodded his confirmation, a blush high on his cheeks. It was still embarrassing to think about. “Alright, so, your heat is going to be a bit more painful this time than in the future because it’s your first heat. It should also be one of your shortest ones. It might get longer, or it might stay short, I can’t be sure, but this heat specifically should only last about two or three days,” Bokuto told Keiji.

Keiji just looked at Bokuto. He knew so much. Keiji had never even looked into that kind of stuff. He had been too busy worrying about his prescriptions and his dad, volleyball, and school to even think about looking into how he as an Omega would function.

“I’ve been on suppressants and scent blockers since presenting,” Keiji admitted. “My prescriptions ran out about two days ago, both lasted about two months.”

“I’m assuming your father made you start them,” Bokuto said. “We can talk about getting your prescriptions refilled after your heat if that’s what you want but for now, you need to let your body regulate,”

“Okay,” Keiji responded. There was no way he was ready to have a conversation about scent blockers and heat suppressants right now anyway. He’d just go with what Bokuto recommended for now. It seemed to be helping him anyway and as long as the pain was getting reduced, he couldn’t find himself capable of complaining.

~~~

Keiji’s heat was nearly unbearable. The overstimulation and pain was something he hadn’t felt before. The intensity of it was shocking him. Bokuto seemed to expect all of this. He seemed completely in control at all times, even when Keiji was whining at him, trying to get the Alpha to make it stop.

He’d begged Bokuto to make the pain stop multiple times, and each time Bokuto had given him an Alpha command to distract the heat hormones. Keiji was thankful, yet at the same time, his Omega side was starting to feel unsatisfied.

Eventually, the heat started to slow down. The periods got further apart and Keiji knew that his heat was finally ending. He supposed that now was as good as a time as any to talk with Bokuto about what they were going to do now that Keiji was outed as an Omega.

“Bokuto-san?” Keiji asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table next to where Bokuto had been eating his sandwich. “I think now is a good time to discuss my um, my heat. I think it’s over now so I should be alright to talk about it without my head getting foggy,”

“It’s not quite over yet,” Bokuto replied. “Your scent is still too sweet but it’s very dull,” He told Keiji when he saw the setter’s confused look. “You should be fine though so yeah, let’s talk about what you want to do,”

“Okay,” Keiji let out a breath, “I think I want to go back onto the heat suppressants and scent blockers,” he started. It was what he was used to and the idea of going to school without at least the blockers made him anxious.

“Why is that?” Bokuto asked, “Are you worried about people at school?” When Keiji nodded Bokuto let out a huff. It wasn’t exasperated, more like that was just how his breath came out. “Nobody will be able to smell you,” Bokuto assured. “Nobody else in the school so far is presented, so they won’t be able to smell you. Only fully presented Alphas and Omegas can smell each other, as well as anyone in the process of presenting,”

“So if someone isn’t fully presented, they won’t know about my dynamic?”

“Exactly, though you will be able to smell if someone is in the process of presenting. As for the heat blockers, most doctors are against them in general, but that’s really up to you. I just want you to be healthy. I would also recommend staying off of them to see what you like better because I know that heat suppressants have an effect on mood and personality but it’s up to you,”

Keiji thought. He never really realized how lousy he had felt when he had been medicating. “I think I might try staying off them for a while then,” Keiji told him. “But what happens when my next heat comes around?”

“Well, I’ve heard that Omegas either find a heat partner or even bond to an Alpha after thier first heat,” Bokuto replied honestly. “Most of the time bonding really helps with the heats and reducing the pain and sometimes even the length of it,”

Keiji wasn’t sure what to say, a blush just rose to his cheeks. He wasn’t body shy, but the idea of bonding or finding a heat partner was largely unappealing. He realized that this was because if it wasn’t Bokuto, he didn’t want a heat partner or to bond at all.

“Would you like to try and find a heat partner?” Bokuto asked.

Keiji shook his head no. He didn’t want anyone but Bokuto.

Bokuto just stared at Keiji. There was clearly something that he wanted to say. Bokuto always found that Keiji’s ‘I want to tell you something but I don’t know how’ face was probably his favorite expression. He was just too cute.

“What about finding someone to bond with?” Another no.

“I-” Keiji was playing with his fingertips again. A nervous habit Bokuto had noticed only a week into knowing him. “I don’t want anyone,” He started, “u-unless it’s y-you,”

Bokuto just stared. He didn’t fully process what Keiji had said for a few moments. As soon as he had, he started to release pleased pheromones, unable to control himself. They increased again once he saw Keiji relax and could smell him releasing calm, pleased pheromones in response to his own.

“Are you sure, ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto asked. “This could end up very complicated,”

“Loving you isn’t complicated,” Keiji instantly responded, a determined pheromone wafting around the room as he said so.

Bokuto released a calm pheromone in response, “Awww ‘Kaashi!!!” he exclaimed, “I love you too!” Bokuto told him. He knew it was true. He’d known he loved Keiji since he had moved in and Keiji needed his support. Having him around all the time made it obvious to Bokuto why his protective pheromones, as well as his pleased and happy pheromones, released more often.

He had a hard time controlling his pheromones around Akaashi, knowing that how he felt toward the Omega is what was causing the lack of control. Bokuto had loved every bit of Akaashi. He loved that they played volleyball together. He loved that Akaashi could help him out of his funk in the middle of practice or matches and games. He loved every inch of Akaashi, from the fact that he was the quiet type because he was actually very shy, to how snappy he could get with those he was close to, to the cuddle bug side Bokuto had seen.

Keiji was his ideal when it came to finding a person to be with. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Keiji. He wanted to bond with Keiji once they were both ready. He wanted everything as long as it was with Keiji.

~~~

A few months had passed since Keiji’s first heat and in that time, the team had been made aware of their relationship. Bokuto had finally become Captain as a third year, as well as keeping his position as Ace and the Ace’s jersey. Keiji was the official setter and both he and Bokuto had been enjoying each other’s company.

Keiji loved drowning himself in Bokuto’s scent at night when they went to bed. He almost never slept in his own room anymore. He liked to wear Bokuto’s pajamas and when he felt especially lonely, he wore Bokuto’s volleyball jersey.

Bokuto had taken to sneaking Akaashi away during lunch for a few minutes so that he could scent the Omega. He was also used to scenting him in the morning before practice, at the end of afternoon practice as well as when they got home.

Keiji giggled every time he did it, knowing that it was Bokuto’s jealousy and protectiveness that really caused the aggressive scenting that Bokuto tended to do. They may have been surrounded by Betas, but that didn’t stop Bokuto from seeing them as active threats when it came to his Omega.

The only thing Keiji was honestly worried about was spending his heat with Bokuto now that they had been a couple for a while. They had messed around plenty since getting together but it would be different now that Keiji would be less in control because of his heat.

He wasn’t sure if Bokuto would be as easily able to control himself now that they were together. It caused him to worry constantly these days. He wasn’t sure when his heat would happen, but he thought it could be close. They happened about four times a year, about three months apart. 

Keiji knew it was a little early to really worry about going into heat now but that didn’t really stop the anxiety from being there.

~~~

Bokuto could smell Keiji’s anxiety. He could also guess what it was about. They’d been together for a little over two months now. Keiji’s heat should be approaching soon if it was to come ‘on time’.

He was sure that his Omega was worried about every aspect of going into heat again, only this time with a heat partner. He was also nervous but he knew what his Omega liked and was determined to show his partner that it would be similar to any other time they had been intimate.

What Bokuto was having a hard time telling Keiji, is that his rut was also supposed to coincide with his heat. He was easily able to talk to Keiji about his heat, and it would be the same with his rut, he was just worried about how the Omega would handle the news.

Their rut and heats coinciding meant that they would have to be more careful than normal. Not only was Keiji extremely fertile when in heat, but it was also worse when Bokuto was in his rut. It would be all too easy to get Keiji pregnant with just one slip up.

Keiji was really unlikely to get pregnant when he wasn’t in heat so they had a little more room but they never took any risks. Now of all times would be VERY important to be extremely careful. He also needed to figure out how to tell Keiji about his upcoming rut.

~~~

Bokuto waited until after their shower and dinner to bring up the dreaded conversation. Thankfully it was the weekend so he had plenty of time to ease Keiji into it and he’d have enough time to calm down after the news. He didn’t want to overwhelm his Omega.

Bokuto was putting away the last of the clean dished before he finally spoke up. “Keiji, I need to talk to you,”

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” He could already smell the anxiety kicking back up.

Bokuto released calming pheromones and pulled Keiji into a tight hug. His Omega was always so worried, he really wanted to help. “I’m sorry that I have to tell you this but… my rut is coming up,”

Keiji stiffened but thankfully his pheromones didn’t kick up. “When?” he asked quietly, tucking his face against Bokuto’s scent gland, inhaling the calming scent.

“Right around when your heat is supposed to come,” Bokuto replied. He felt Keiji shudder but kept releasing his pheromones, hoping that their presence would help Keiji calm enough to think with a clear mind.

“O-okay,” He replied nervously. “What do we do?” He asked.

“Well we need to be careful, so obviously stock up on condoms,” Bokuto started. “I was thinking maybe you could talk to your doctor about birth control?” Bokuto told him. 

Keiji hadn’t ever thought of that before. It certainly would help to get on birth control as soon as possible. He could have an appointment set up with his doctor within the next few days if he called tomorrow.

“I’ll set up an appointment tomorrow,” Keiji told him. “We’ve got just about a month before my heat is supposed to come. Will that be enough time for it to be effective before it comes?”

“Yes,” Bokuto replied, kissing his forehead. “It shouldn’t affect your heat at all and taking it for a few weeks will give it plenty of time to fully kick in and let your body adjust to it,” he explained.

“Okay,” Keiji said, nodding. “That sounds like it’s the best option,” He yawned a bit. He was tired from the anxiety and nerves lately. He heard Bokuto chuckle and looked up to meed his eyes from where he was buried against his Alpha’s chest.

“What?”

“Let’s get you to bed,” Bokuto told him. “I’m pretty tired myself,”

“We both know that’s a lie, Bokuto-san,” Keiji said flatly, leading the way to the bedroom anyway.

“No, it’s not,” 

“Yes, it is,”

“Fine, maybe it is,”

“No kidding,” Keiji replied. “You just want to snuggle,”

“And you don’t?” Bokuto asked in a teasing tone, Keiji glaring at him with a pout. Bokuto laughed at Keiji’s expression before pulling Keiji down onto the bed with him.

~~~

Bokuto was at a bit of a loss of what to do. Keiji was on his fourth or fifth day of adjusting to the birth control and while the doctor had told them that it would cause mood swings until his body was fully adjusted, Bokuto hadn’t expected them to be so bad.

But it was bad. Keiji was constantly bursting into tears over the most random things. He was easy to anger, too. He’d always been a snuggler, so Bokuto found it strange that Keiji would mostly move away from him if he tried to initiate any form of cuddling.

It saddened Bokuto to see that the meds were affecting Keiji so harshly. Keiji didn’t want any form of comfort when he was crying, not when he was angry. If Keiji wanted to cuddle, he’d go to Bokuto. That didn’t stop Bokuto from missing his normal cuddle-monster of a boyfriend.

~~~

After about another week of being on birth control, Keiji’s moods were stabilized and he was back to his normal self. Bokuto just hoped that Keiji never missed a dose otherwise his body would have to readjust to the meds again. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to handle another adjustment period.

He sighed happily as Keiji wormed his way into his neck like he usually did. They were in Bokuto’s bed, Keiji wearing Bokuto’s favorite pajamas as he buried himself in Bokuto’s scent. Bokuto felt and complied with the urge to scent Keiji even though he already smelled heavily of Bokuto’s Alpha scent.

Bokuto pressed Keiji’s face further into his scent glands, releasing a thick wave of protective Alpha pheromones, rubbing his neck all over Keiji’s face and neck. Keiji just giggled and let out a purr, completely content. They fell asleep tangled in each other, Bokuto’s scent thick in the air.

~~~

“Bokuto-san?” Keiji asked, snuggled against Bokuto’s side as they watched a movie on the couch.

“Yeah, ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto replied softly, looking toward the Omega and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Keiji closed his eyes at the feeling.

“I want to bond with you during my upcoming heat,” Keiji told him nervously.

“Are you sure, Keiji?” Bokuto asked. “Bonding isn’t something that can be undone,” He informed. “I want to bond with you but are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“I don’t want to bond with anyone, ever, if it’s not with you,” Keiji told him. “And I want to bond with you so that we can spend the rest of our lives bonded to each other. I don’t need to think about it when my heart is telling me what I want,”

Bokuto just pulled Keiji into a tight hug. “I love you, Keiji,” He said. 

“I love you, Kōtarō,” Bokuto just smiled widely at the use of his given name. He loved it when Keiji called him Kōtarō. 

~~~

Keiji had gone out for some groceries for dinner when Bokuto felt his rut starting. He nearly jumped Keiji at the door, causing the Omega to nearly drop his bag of groceries. Bokuto was barely able to comply when Keiji had said, “Wait, let me put the groceries in the kitchen,”

Keiji felt overwhelmed by the pheromones that Bokuto was releasing now that he was in his rut. Keiji knew that it was going to make Bokuto behave wildly, and he could see the look of lust and excitement in his Alpha’s eyes. There were a bit crazed, his breathing was hot and heavy when he came close to Keiji again.

He had pounced again once the bag was placed on the table, dragging Keiji to the bedroom. Bokuto could smell a sweet scent by the time they made it to the bed. His rut had caused Keiji’s heat to start. Bokuto figured that would happen.

Neither of them had thought it would be so intense.

They were lost in pheromones and instincts, clawing and grabbing at each other, trying to stay as close as they could for as long as possible. 

~~~

Days later left both Bokuto and Akaashi completely exhausted. Keiji had a new bonding mark covering his scent gland along with plenty of hickeys lining his collarbones. Bokuto had plenty of hickeys covering his thighs courtesy of Keiji.

He’d found it kind of funny that Keiji had left them there, not realizing that Keiji seemed to think that his thighs and ass were sexy. He loved every part of Keiji, littering his whole body with hickeys but there was one place Bokuto loved that he couldn’t leave hickeys.

Bokuto loved Keiji’s eyes. He loved the color, the hope, and excitement that shined in them when he played volleyball or even focused on homework. Keiji’s eyes were probably downright the sexiest part of him.

Then again, Bokuto also really loved Keiji’s hands, his fingers. They were the hands that held his, that set to him, that combed through his hair, that cupped his face when Keiji kissed him. They were the hands that held him up when he felt down. Keiji was his support. Keiji was all he needed.

~~~

“Kōtarō?” Keiji whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I just realized,” Keiji started, “That you never told me why you live in this apartment instead of at home. You haven’t talked about your parents, either. You said it was a story for another time?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I never got around to that,” Bokuto said, readjusting his weight in the uncomfortable air.

“Would you be okay to tell me?” Keiji asked. He didn’t want to push if Bokuto wasn’t ready. Bokuto had been so patient with him, he wanted to give the same courtesy to Bokuto.

“No, that’s okay. I guess I just haven’t thought about it in a while. We can talk about it, but are you sure you want to know?” Bokuto asked, “I know that your situation still upsets you, and while mine isn’t nearly as severe as yours was, it still wasn’t very pretty,”

“Yeah,” Keiji said, “I want to know everything about you, Kōtarō,”

“Alright,” he replied. “They kinda kicked me out when I presented in my first year of high school,” He said simply. “I presented and they no longer wanted anything to do with me. It started with not going to my games, then they stopped talking to me, and eventually, they told me that I was going to be living in my own apartment away from them.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, just as you probably don’t know why your parents reacted the way they did,” Bokuto said lightly. “They pay for the apartment, they even send money weekly, they just didn’t want me around, I guess,” Bokuto said.

“That’s awful,”

“There are worse things,” Kōtartō assured him. “I miss them sometimes but honestly, I don’t think they’ve been my parents for years. I’m glad that they support me financially while I’m in school but I never once asked them to. Besides, if they didn’t do what they had, I wouldn’t have been in a position to be able to help you when you needed it,”

“How do you always manage to do that?” Keiji asked in amazement, shaking his head slightly.

“Do what?”

“Look at the bright side all of the time,” Keiji replied. “You’re always so happy, so bright. Like a guiding star. I don’t understand it,”

“I made a promise to myself, and everyone like us,” Bokuto said, pulling Keiji’s chin to force him to look him in the face. “I promised that I would make the national team. I promised myself that I would reveal my dynamic once I did so that EVERYONE would see, so they would all see that our dynamics do not make us inferior to them.” Bokuto told him. “That means not changing who I was before my dynamic presented. That means supporting anyone we come across that is like us. Helping whoever needs it. Doing whatever it takes to show the world that we are all the same, dynamic included.”

“You’re amazing,” Keiji said breathlessly. “I want that too,” He admitted.

“Then, help me show the world. Show them in your own way, however you see fit,” Bokuto told him. “Love me every step of the way, just as I will do for you,” 

“That’s a promise,” Keiji replied.

“We won’t be Hidden In Their Shadows forever,” Bokuto promised. “We will change the world and we’ll do it together,”

“That sounds amazing, Kōtarō,” Keiji said. “I love you,”

“I love you too, Keiji,”


	2. Kuroo and Kenma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Kenma's origin in the Omegaverse.
> 
> Kuroo is an Alpha and Kenma is a Beta. It never bothered Kuroo or Kenma before. It didn't affect how they were with each other. Both were just idiots in love. What will happen if the dynamic of their relationship changes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are honestly long as shit.
> 
> Up next- UshiTen
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

“Alphas- 25% of the world’s population. Omegas- 15% of the world’s population. Betas- 60% of the world’s population. While the rates increase slowly as the generations continue, the rarity of omega and alpha children are still frowned upon. This affects the children who are born with their secondary gender. They are raised in an environment that shuns the idea of a change in human biology. Betas are the majority- many are raised to be disgusted by the new change, they are unaware that the world is developing around them. That development won’t stop because of their hatred, nor will it change the fact that people cannot choose to present with a secondary gender. Intolerance toward those with secondary genders gets worse even as their numbers grow. Inevitably, one day- soon or in the future… a whole generation will present with secondary genders. What will happen to our youth if the views on Alpha, Omega, and Beta dynamics doesn’t change?”

~~~

Kuroo stopped in front of Kenma’s door, ringing the bell and waiting for his friend to answer. They’d known each other all their lives, they were childhood friends. It wasn’t a surprise when Kuroo had been able to drag Kenma onto the volleyball team, at least not to Kuroo.

He was in his third year of high school now, and he’d presented as an Alpha in his second year. It’d been just about a year now and while his parents didn’t care whatsoever, he knew that his life was going to be a lot harder because of his dynamic.

He was just thankful that his family and Kenma didn’t care about the dynamics. He knew about Bokuto and Akaashi, having known Bokuto since his first year in the summer training camp. Bokuto had been the first to make friends with him, as well as told him the instant he presented. 

He filled Kuroo in on everything that happened between him and Akaashi, and when Kuroo had presented last year, he didn’t hesitate to tell Bokuto, knowing that Akaashi would find out as well. He was mostly thrilled that his relationship with Kenma didn’t change.

They had gotten together almost two years ago when Kuroo had started his first year of high school and Kenma was finishing his last year of middle school. Being away from each other had sucked but he didn’t really dwell on it, nor on the fact that he’d be graduating this year and Kenma would be staying in high school.

Kenma was the same as always, he was glued to his video games, attached to Kuroo, not that he’d admit that- and uninterested in volleyball while being a great setter at the same time. Kuroo was excited to be Captain of Nekoma this year.

He was excited for the new first years to join, he’d already heard some whispers about where Kageyama Tobio had ended up going. He could feel it in his bones that this year- the rivalry between Karasuno and Nekoma would blossom again- that the tournaments were going to be so much more interesting.

“Kuro,” Kenma said softly, his GameBoy clicking as he tapped away at the buttons. Of course, Kenma would open the door without looking up from his games. “It’s Saturday, what are you doing here?”

“I always come here on Saturdays, Kitten,” Kuroo said with a grin. “Parents gone again?”

Kenma nodded in response. His parents were almost always out of town. They were constantly going on business trips and were hardly home throughout the past few years. Kenma was lucky to see them for a few days at a time about three times a year.

It didn’t seem to bother him, though. It was like Kenma was just used to always being alone, and having absent parents was the main cause of that issue. Kuroo didn’t mind the private time he had with Kenma but he also really wished that Kenma’s parents were around for him more.

Kuroo pulled Kenma close to scent mark him. It was something he always did and Kenma didn’t mind that he did it, knowing it was instincts and that it was a protective side that made him do it. He couldn’t smell Kuroo’s pheromones, so the whole process didn’t bother him one bit. 

The motions of it were actually comforting to Kenma, the only thing that truly bothered him about it is when Kuroo let it get in the way of his gaming. Most of the time Kuroo would scent him and it would block Kenma from seeing his PSP and he’d try to wiggle out of it the whole time.

That was just a front, even Kenma could acknowledge it. Kuroo knew that Kenma only did it because he was focused on the game, knowing that he enjoyed the scent marking otherwise.

~~~

Kenma fell asleep on the couch playing Mario Kart with Kuroo like he did every Saturday. Kuroo let out his usual chuckle, lifting him to move him onto his bed in the bedroom. Kenma was always up late on weekends gaming so it was a habit for him to sleep midday.

Kuroo thought it was the cutest thing, Kenma always mumbled in his sleep, especially during his daytime nap. Kenma was always moody after waking up, knowing that it meant he fell asleep gaming and that Kuroo hadn’t woken him up to continue.

Not that it mattered, because by the time that Kenma woke up, Kuroo always had dinner ready. Something about the routine had Kuroo satisfied. He loved taking care of his Beta. He may not be an Omega but Kuroo’s Alpha didn’t seem to care much about that.

Kuroo was someone that had always relied on instinct, so not much had actually changed once he presented. He still cared for Kenma out of instinct, out of love. It was nothing new, and Kenma didn’t seem to care that he was always so doting.

He knew that Kenma was actually fond of a few of the things Kuroo did because he was an Alpha. He enjoyed scenting, knowing that it set Kuroo at ease. He also knew that Kenma liked it when he purred, especially when Kenma was on his chest. 

The rumbling vibrations that spread through him were comforting and normally eased Kenma into sleep when they cuddled. Kuroo purred often when he was with Kenma, a natural response to feeling content and safe with his lover.

~~~

Kuroo and Kenma were in afternoon practice when Kuroo felt his rut coming. He instantly moved to pack his stuff up and head home early, leaving Kenma in charge of the rest of their pack of Cats.

Nekoma had an intense training schedule because of their coach and while Kuroo had to miss a few days because of his rut, he wasn’t overly worried about it. Kenma wasn’t particularly motivated but he knew how to run practice. 

Kuroo told Kenma what was going on, pulling him aside before taking his leave. This was one of the few things that actually bothered Kuroo about being an Alpha. His ruts were almost unbearable and he had to go through them all alone. A rut was worth nothing if it meant he had to go through it alone.

Kenma had offered once or twice to spend Kuroo’s rut with him but Kuroo had declined each time. He didn’t want to hurt Kenma and he couldn’t control what he did during a rut. His parents vacated the house when he was on his rut, not wanting to hear the whining and moaning that they had learned came with having an Alpha for a son.

It really sucked to go through a rut alone. It also sucked that it kept him from school, volleyball, but worst of all, it kept him from Kenma. Kenma was always alone so Kuroo had always tried his best to be there. Unfortunately, every once in a while, Kuroo couldn’t help being absent. 

His rut wasn’t something to take lightly. They had always been particularly rough, as they would be until he bonded with an Omega. He knew he’d be having tough ruts for the rest of his life because bonding with an Omega wasn’t on his schedule. Not if it wasn’t Kenma.

It saddened Kuroo that he’d never be able to bond with Kenma, he was only a Beta and therefore didn’t have scent glands, nor the ability to bond. Even if Kenma had presented, it was more likely that he’d present as an Alpha. 

Kuroo had thought about the possibility of Kenma presenting once or twice. He knew Alphas were more likely and yet, he couldn’t quite tell if Kenma would actually present as an Alpha even if he did present.

Everything about Kenma screamed Beta, and yet sometimes, especially with Kenma’s size and the way he acted, Kuroo knew that Kenma would be a beautiful Omega. Not that it truly mattered, because Kenma was always beautiful. He would be beautiful if he was an Alpha if he was an Omega, and he was beautiful as a Beta. Kuroo just loved him for exactly how he was.

~~~

It had been three days since Kenma had last seen or heard from Kuroo. Knowing that the Alpha’s ruts lasted up to five days, he wasn’t worried about not hearing from him. Kuroo had once explained to him that if he’d tried to call or text Kenma, he wouldn’t have been able to control himself.

Kenma knew that was reasonable. But that didn’t stop Kenma from missing Kuroo when he had to stay away due to said rut. He wished that he was allowed to spend Kuroo’s rut with him, no matter how Kuroo may have said it wasn’t a good idea.

Being with Kuroo was always worth it. Kenma wasn’t all that great at showing how he felt but he knew that Kuroo didn’t care, that he knew how Kenma truly felt. As much as he was able to push Kuroo aside, distracted by his games, Kuroo never seemed to pay it any mind.

Kenma loved that about Kuroo. Kuroo always knew when Kenma didn’t know how to show his feelings the right way. He never seemed to mind that Kenma couldn’t express them properly. He just took everything in stride.

Was that because the Alpha could sense how Kenma felt, or was it because Kuroo knew him so well? What would it be like to be Kuroo’s Omega? To be able to connect to Kuroo on that level? He wasn’t going to lie, he thought about it often. 

He wanted to be with Kuroo forever, and he didn’t want some Omega to come and steal Kuroo away just because they could offer bonding that Kenma couldn’t. Kenma wasn’t planning to let an Omega, or anyone for that matter, steal Kuroo away from him.

~~~

Kuroo’s rut was drawing to a close after five painful days. They were always unbearable and sometimes he wished he could find an Omega to bond to, knowing that it would help his rut be more bearable.

Thankfully, they only came around maybe twice a year. He also never wanted to do something like that to Kenma. Kenma was his everything, Omega or not. Even his Alpha recognized Kenma as his. 

Sometimes he was curious as to why his Alpha even felt so connected, knowing that Kenma was only a Beta. Did his Alpha know something that Kuroo did not? He let out a sigh. Someday, he was going to have to let Kenma be around during his rut. He was really only delaying the inevitable.

He was more concerned with Kenma’s safety right now, though. Kuroo knew that his rut was worse than most. He didn’t have any control which could lead to him accidentally hurting Kenma. He would do anything to keep that from happening.

He’d be returning to school next week. He’d be using the rest of the weekend to make sure his rut was completely over by the time he saw Kenma. Unfortunately, that meant he wouldn’t see Kenma until Monday morning.

~~~

Kenma had received a text from Kuroo saying that his rut was mostly over but that he’d be spending the rest of his weekend at home alone, making sure it was over before finally coming to see Kenma Monday morning when they walked to school.

Kenma sighed and replied, ‘okay’ to Kuroo’s message. He was sure Kuroo knew that he was disappointed, that he missed him. Kenma always hated it when Kuroo went into a rut. He hated having to stay away.

Kenma pushed his plate away. He was hungry and yet, now he felt nauseous at the idea of trying to eat. It’d been a few days since his last proper meal but he couldn’t find the energy to care. He flopped over on the couch, rolling to face the back. He was going to sleep.

~~~

Kuroo looked at his phone. ‘Okay’ was all he got. He hadn’t honestly expected more in the way of typing but normally he could sense Kenma’s mood when he received a message. Kenma wasn’t good at showing how he was feeling but Kuroo was good at guessing for him.

This time, he couldn’t tell what Kenma was feeling. He knew that Kenma was probably lonely, missing him. He was probably tired of being alone. Kuroo sighed. He just wanted Kenma to be safe… was he taking care of himself?

Kuroo knew that when Kenma was upset or even just in a game binge, he would forget about caring for himself, or sometimes he refused on purpose. He was stubborn but Kuroo was always able to tell when he was taking care of himself and was always able to make Kenma eat or take care of himself. Kuroo’s Alpha was just as stubborn as Kenma was.

A realization hit Kuroo like a pound of bricks. He realized that Kenma probably wasn’t taking care of himself. He probably wasn’t eating healthy, if he was eating at all. He always shut down if Kuroo was gone for too long.

Shit. 

Should he go check on Kenma? His rut wasn’t completely over yet, what would happen if he saw Kenma and couldn’t control himself? Was it too risky to go over there and make sure he was alright?

~~~

Monday rolled around and Kenma was burning with anger. It was overshadowed by his loneliness, though. He was desperate to see Kuroo, to have the young Alpha scent him the way he always did.

He wanted to stop the feeling of unworthiness in his stomach. He wanted to feel Kuroo’s love, especially because his parents weren’t around to make up for the loss of Kuroo’s attention. He was supposed to see Kuroo in a few hours, thankfully.

He hadn’t been able to sleep. He tossed and turned in frustration, unable to get comfortable. School and practice were supposed to start in a matter of hours and he still hadn’t been able to sleep.

As contradictory as it was, he wanted to see Kuroo because he was lonely but he also wanted to ignore Kuroo for leaving him alone for so long. He was angry and hurt. He understood why Kuroo did the things he did, he just didn’t like it. He didn’t think it would be bad for him to be there for Kuroo when he needed it, especially when Kuroo was there for him.

~~~

When Kuroo showed up at his door, Kemna’s mood instantly soured. His anger was getting more apparent. How long would Kuroo push him away during his ruts? How long would he keep Kenma from seeing all of him the way that Kuroo saw all of him?

He started walking, not responding to Kuroo’s greeting. Kuroo just shrugged it off. He knew that Kenma wasn’t going to respond, he hardly ever did. He couldn’t tell right now if that was because he was angry or if it was just his normal reaction.

He moved to pull Kenma close, intending to scent him. Kenma placed a hand on his chest and softly kept Kuroo from getting close. Kuroo paused, ‘No scenting?’ he thought. Kenma continued to walk, finally pulling his PSP out of his pocket and flipping his game on.

Was Kenma angry with him?

~~~

Kenma hadn’t been able to help himself. He pushed Kuroo away, not wanting Kuroo to scent him. Not because the scent bothered him but because he was angry. Kuroo wanted to push him away during his ruts? Well… Kenma didn’t want that anymore. It was really starting to bother him.

If Kuroo wanted to be able to scent him, Kenma should be allowed to spend Kuroo’s ruts with him. He should be able to make those choices for himself. He’s not saying he’d be there every time Kuroo had a rut, or even the whole time he was in a rut but having the choice is what he desired.

Kuroo needed to understand this. And maybe it was a little petty to push him away now, especially without telling him why, but Kenma couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want to explain himself. He didn’t want to talk about it, at least not right now. 

Maybe when he calmed down a bit, he could have a productive conversation with Kuroo but for now, he was just going to focus on his game and let Kuroo figure out just what had Kenma peeved this time.

~~~

Practice went by as normal but Kenma walked to class by himself. His anger only seemed to be increasing the more time he spent with Kuroo. Something was really bothering him about it. He wasn’t sure why- it had never really bothered him before.

What had him so actively angry at one of Kuroo’s decisions? He respected Kuroo’s choice but Kenma also realized that maybe he should have been involved in making the decision. It was his boyfriend, his feelings that were just as involved as Kuroo’s.

He wanted Kuroo to understand that most of all.

~~~

Over the next few days, Kenma’s agitation only grew. Kuroo came over like he usually did. He tried scenting Kenma like usual. Kenma pushed him away every time. He didn’t let Kuroo take his games from him. He didn’t let Kuroo drag his attention anymore. He was going to focus on his games. It was either that or snap at Kuroo and that was the last thing he wanted.

~~~

Kuroo was worried. Kenma had been distant since his last rut. He figured it was because Kenma was tired of not being allowed to be there. He knew that Kenma should have his choice and yet Kuroo couldn’t yet bring himself to let Kenma make that choice.

The thing was… his agitation seemed to be deeper than that. Something else was bothering Kenma but was he even aware of it?

Lately, Kenma’s normal scent had changed. He normally smelled like his shampoo and body wash. Coconuts and cucumbers. Gentle scents. For the past two or three days, his scent seemed to have changed.

The usual coconuts and cucumbers were still there but they were overshadowed by another scent. Kuroo couldn’t tell what it was quite yet but while he was worried about the change, his Alpha was getting even more overprotective than normal.

With Kenma refusing all of Kuroo’s normal fussing and doting, he was getting really restless about making sure that Kenma was alright, that Kenma was drowning in his scent so that others knew just who Kenma belonged to.

~~~

It was the weekend and Kuroo took it upon himself to stay with Kenma the whole time. He didn’t plan to leave Kenma alone. His Alpha was overwhelmed. He had the insane urge to scent Kenma, to make sure the whole house and everything that Kenma wore smell heavily of his Alpha.

All of the blankets Kenma would wrap himself in while gaming, sweatshirts, pajamas. Kuroo was going to scent them all. It may be an aggressive move, especially because Kenma hadn’t been letting him do it for the past five days but now, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. His Alpha wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

~~~

Kuroo had taken to scenting the blankets on Kenma’s bed and in his room while said boy was in the living room gaming away. He scented Kenma’s pajamas and his favorite hoodie. He scented the pillows. He actively let his scent waft around the house. His pheromones were heavy throughout the air and yet there was one thing in the house that didn’t smell nearly enough like him.

Kenma was next. 

Kuroo marched out into the living room, seeing the one blanket wrapped around Kenma as he huddled in front of the TV. Both Kenma and that blanket were going to smell heavily of Alpha. They were going to smell like Kuroo.

His eyes were blown, in a primal state. Nothing but instinct was driving him. His brain wasn’t thinking of how Kenma was feeling like he normally would. He was itching to scent Kenma. His Alpha was in complete control no matter how much he wished he could control it.

Unfortunately, control wasn’t one of his strong suits when his Alpha was concerned.

He slowly approached Kenma and sat behind him. His pheromones were still freely releasing into the air but Kuroo yanked the blanket off Kenma and started to scent it. “Kuro, what the hell, give it back!” Kenma had whined, not letting his eyes leave the game. It was only Minecraft but Kenma took his worlds seriously.

Kuroo let out a low rumble, close to a growl. There wasn’t much he could do until his Alpha was satisfied. He wouldn’t be able to control his actions without his Alpha finally settling down. As soon as the blanket was satisfactorily covered in his scent, he turned to Kenma.

He grasped the controller, pausing the game and effectively pulling Kenma’s eyes to him. “Kuro!” Kenma said angrily, voice raised a bit. As soon as his eyes met Kuroo’s, though, his eyes widened in shock. 

Kuroo let out an actual growl this time, Alpha angered at Kenma’s resistance. He pulled Kenma to him and started to aggressively scent the smaller boy. Kenma just struggled and pushed him away the entire time, “Kuroo stop!” his grip on Kenma tightened. “Ow! Tetsurō! Let go!” Kenma said again, this time sounding as if he was in pain.

That tone finally lifted the clouds off Kuroo’s overpowered mind. His Alpha instantly settled, and he instantly went to check Kenma for injuries. “I’m sorry! Are you okay, Kitten?” Kuroo said in a panic. “Where does it hurt?”

Kenma just pushed him away, falling out of Kuroo’s lap. “Just leave me alone,” Kenma said, getting up and running off to the bathroom, slamming the door. Kuroo just followed, hoping that Kenma would let him in so they could talk.

He heard the shower start to run, knowing that Kenma was probably going to just wash off some of Kuroo’s scent. “Kenma? Are you okay?” Kuroo asked through the locked door. “Kitten… please let me in,” He begged.

“No, go away,” was the only reply that Kuroo got in return. He let out a sigh, leaning against the wall opposite the door and taking a seat. He wasn’t going anywhere until he knew that Kenma was alright.

~~~

Kenma was going to get a shower, knowing that it would at least dull Kuroo’s scent. He wasn’t oblivious, he had known that Kuroo had been scenting everything in the apartment. He was more surprised that he hadn’t started with scenting Kenma himself, first.

He had seen in Kuroo’s eyes that the Alpha was in control. The instinct. He hadn’t seen Kuroo like that since he first presented. He knew that Kuroo wasn’t always in control. His Alpha and especially his rut were unpredictable and sometimes uncontrollable. 

It was because Kenma was in a bad mood that he was upset by the aggressive scenting. Maybe he shouldn’t have prevented Kuroo from scenting him all week. If he hadn’t he was sure that Kuroo’s Alpha wouldn’t have been so overwhelmed.

Kuroo had told him that being allowed to scent him made the Alpha part of Kuroo easier to keep in check. Kenma really shouldn’t have kept Kuroo from doing it. He should’ve thought that through a bit more before rashly deciding to take that away. He just hadn’t been able to help himself.

While he had been angry, he noticed that he felt better after Kuroo had scent marked him. He felt better physically, he felt better emotionally and he felt a bit more fulfilled. He’d been feeling off for a few days now so it was weird that just letting Kuroo scent him made him feel better physically.

He noticed a slight bruise where Kuroo’s grip had gotten too strong and he sighed. That was bound to upset Kuroo if and when he saw it. Knowing Kuroo, as soon as Kenma opened the door he was going to inspect Kenma to make sure he was all right. Kuroo finding that bruise was inevitable.

For now, he hopped into the shower, hoping to wash away some of his conflicting thoughts and feelings. He was feeling woozier than normal after getting out of the shower. He got dressed and unlocked the door but left it closed. He moved to brush his teeth when a sudden wave of dizziness hit. 

His face went hot and his legs gave out. He hit the floor harshly, suddenly feeling hot, parched, and exhausted. His vision was swimming as Kuroo came into view, a panicked look on his face. He closed his eyes, too overwhelmed to keep them open.

~~~

Kuroo heard the door unlock and let out a sigh. Kenma wouldn’t appreciate it if he just barged in so he decided to wait for Kenma to come out. He heard rummaging and assumed that Kenma was probably brushing his teeth in preparation for bed. 

Well, at least he was going to get some sleep, Kuroo thought. He was pulled from those thoughts when he heard a loud crash and a thud. Panicked, he opened the door, careful not to hit Kenma, who was on the ground. 

He was boiling hot when Kuroo reached out to him, “Kenma??!” Kuroo asked in a panic. “Hey! Kenma! Shit, hold on,” Kuroo said, pulling his phone out to call an ambulance. Once they were on the way, he carefully gathered Kenma into his arms. He wasn’t sure if Kenma had hit his head on the way down and he wasn’t exactly responding to Kuroo’s calls.

The only thing that told Kuroo that Kenma was still breathing with him as the hot short breaths and the small hand grasping desperately at his shirt. He sat on the bathroom on the floor, cradling Kenma against him when his phone rang.

He answered it, guiding the emergency services up to where he sat with Kenma. He anxiously let them put Kenma onto the stretcher and followed them to the ambulance, climbing inside after they settled Kenma into the back.

~~~

The ride to the hospital was terrible. He watched as they ran tests, connected him to an IV, and put him on oxygen. His Alpha was pissed, wanting to be close yet knowing that he should let the paramedics do their job.

They settled Kenma into a private room, leaving him and Kuroo with a nurse that was setting Kenma up for his stay in the hospital as well as asking for permission to run blood work and tests to see what could have happened.

Kuroo allowed it all, letting them do whatever they needed to do. He watched over Kenma while the nurse left and waited for the doctor to come back in. His Alpha instincts were finally kicking up a fuss, demanding that he scent Kenma again, especially because his scent had been mostly washed off when Kenma showered.

He scooted closer, calling out, “Kenma? Kitten, hey, can you hear me?” He heard Kenma groan in response, his eyes cracking open blearily before they closed again. “Do you want me to scent you?” Kuroo asked.

He saw Kenma open his eyes again and nod, letting out a sigh when Kuroo instantly got up to comply. Kuroo knew that he wasn’t the only one to get comfort from the act of scenting. Whatever happened earlier and even earlier in the week, Kuroo knew one thing.

Kenma hated hospitals and he wasn’t going to deny comfort in a time like this. He slid into the bed next to Kenma and started to scent mark him, noting how Kenma instantly relaxed. For someone who couldn’t smell his pheromones, the act of scenting calmed Kenma down in a way that screamed Omega.

~~~

They ran any and all tests and everything came back clean. They couldn’t find anything wrong with Kenma so they diagnosed it down to malnutrition and exhaustion. The doctor wanted Kenma on bed rest for two days and wanted to keep him overnight for observation.

He was discharged in the morning after a long night of fitful, feverish sleep. Kuroo called for a cab and took them home. He was going to stay with Kenma for the two days that he’d be out of school as nobody else was home to monitor and take care of him.

~~~

Kuroo doted on Kenma. He was constantly checking and adjusting the blankets as Kenma shivered away. His fever was still there, just not high enough for the hospital to keep him. Therefore, Kuroo was there to do it all for him.

He wasn’t able to stomach much, he’d thrown up practically everything Kuroo had tried to give him. He wasn’t getting better and Kuroo noticed that his scent was changing more and more by the day. 

He didn’t think Kenma had changed his shampoo or body wash. The scent was dull right now, just barely overshadowing the mix of soaps Kenma normally used. It was strange that Kuroo’s Alpha was excited by the vague scent. It was comforting and yet Kuroo couldn’t help but worry.

~~~

Kenma was hot and sticky. He couldn’t seem to cool down and having Kuroo by his side was the only time that he felt at peace. The only time his body seemed to calm down and finally relax, as exhausted as it was.

There would be a while where his body would feel intensely hot and his stomach would churn. Then it would stop. He felt almost normal again right before the intense hot feeling would come back in spades, more intense each time.

There was a scent he couldn’t smell before. It smelled distinctly like Kuroo, and it was wafting around the whole house. It smelled kind of like anxiety and worry but also a content feeling. Kenma didn’t mention it to Kuroo, far too out of it to really think about it and wanting time to try to figure it out for himself.

~~~

Kenma woke up in the middle of the night with Kuroo missing from the bed. He didn’t like the lonely feeling that erupted through his chest right before Kuroo came bursting into the room, a slightly panicked look on his face.

Kenma just stared in confusion, watching as Kuroo came closer, not exactly registering what he was saying. His brain was still far too fuzzy as he laid there, finally pleased when Kuroo finally rejoined him in the bed.

Kuroo had been getting a drink in the middle of the night when a noise he’d never heard before hit his ears. A keen. It was unique to Omegas, something that was used to call their mates back to them. It instantly had Kuroo moving.

It had come from Kenma’s room. He rushed back, “Kitten?” He’d asked as he swung the door open. Kenma just looked at him, clearly dazed. Kuroo took note and made his way back to the bed. He was sure that Kenma had gotten lonely and now he knew just what was happening.

Kenma was presenting. 

Not only was he in the process of presenting, which explained the change in his scent and the keen that Kuroo had just heard- he was an Omega. It explained why Kenma had taken to Kuroo scenting him the past two days and why Kenma didn’t want the Alpha to leave his sight. The security of having a trusted Alpha was important to a presenting Omega. The mere idea of Kenma as his Omega made his Alpha cheer. It also made him even more protective. 

He’d have to talk to Kenma about it when he was awake as he’d already fallen back asleep. 

Kuroo knew that presenting was a bit of a painful mess for both Alphas and Omegas. Kenma must be exhausted by the process, especially not knowing exactly what it was. Kuroo held on just a bit tighter to the setter, falling asleep with his scent freely wafting throughout the room.

~~~

When Kenma woke up, it was to Kuroo wrapped tightly around him, scenting his hair. He let out a content sigh, “Kitten? Are you awake?” Kuroo all but purred. Kenma let out a hum in response, sinking further into the Alpha.

“Kitten, I think we need to talk,” Kuroo told him. Kenma stiffened. Kuroo never said that unless it was serious. “It’s okay, it’s nothing bad,” Kuroo promised.

“What is it?” Kenma whispered, pressing his face into Kuroo’s neck. The scent there was heavy and relaxing. That’s what made Kenma pause. He’d never been able to smell Kuroo before, so why could he now?”

“Kitten?” Kuroo asked, shaking his shoulder a bit. “You can smell my pheromones, can’t you?” He released more as he asked, noticing the effect it had on the newly presented Omega. “Do you know what that means, Kitten?”

Kenma nodded in response to Kuroo’s first question but shook his head at the second. His brain was still fuzzy, he couldn’t really think straight, especially with Kuroo’s comforting scent wafting throughout the room and overpowering the rest of his senses.

“Kenma, I think you’ve been presenting since Friday night,” Kuroo told him. “That explains why your scent was changing, plus why you collapsed. It also explains your clear comfort with my scenting as well as the noise you let out last night,”

“What noise did I make?” Kenma asked groggily. He really didn’t remember much of anything other than Kuroo’s obvious presence over the past few days. His brain had been far too overwhelmed and his body too exhausted.

“You keened last night,” Kuroo replied. “It’s a sound only Omegas make. They use it to call their Alphas back to them when they are distressed or lonely,” he explained further. He watched as Kenma took the information in.

“But that would mean,”

“That you presented as an Omega,” Kuroo confirmed.

“I’m an Omega?” Kenma whispered in shock. “Why now? All of the sudden? So late compared to everyone else we know,”

“Akaashi presented early for an Omega, in his first year of high school. Bokuto also presented late in his first year, right around the age you are now. It’s completely normal to present between 16 and 18,” he assured the Omega.

“So what do we do?” Kenma asked, yawning.

“Well, for now, you need to get some more rest. Presenting exhausts the body,” Kuroo informed. “We can talk about everything else later,”

“Okay,” Kenma said with another yawn, sticking his nose back into Kuroo’s neck, right near the scent gland. He inhaled deeply, letting out a content purr without noticing. He heard Kuroo snicker.

“Kuro?”

“It’s nothing, Kitten,” Kuroo assured. “You’re just purring. It’s cute,” he whispered, wrapping himself around Kenma protectively. “Go back to sleep,” Kenma nodded, eyes already closed as he continued to purr contentedly. He felt Kuroo’s chest start to rumble in response, a loud purr erupting through the room to combine with Kenma’s delicate one.

~~~

It had been a few weeks since Kenma had presented and he was still adjusting to his new dynamic, as well as being able to smell Kuroo’s dominating pheromones. He never realized just how much Kuroo let his pheromones out before now.

He was unable to control his own pheromones still and he was a little agitated that Kuroo now knew his moods based purely on that fact. Kuroo had always been able to guess at what he was feeling but now it was more obvious because of Kenma’s lack of pheromone control.

He enjoyed the increased pleasure of being able to smell Kuroo’s content pheromones when he scented Kenma. He enjoyed how much it relaxed him. His enjoyment of Kuroo’s purring when they cuddled also increased, now able to join in with purrs of his own.

He’d always thought about being Kuroo’s Omega. He just never thought it would happen and now that it had, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He still wanted to be Kuroo’s Omega. He wanted to be the only one that Kuroo was ever with.

“Kuro?” Kenma asked.

“Yeah, Kitten?”

“You have Bokuto-san’s number right?”

“I do,” Kuroo asked, clearly curious. “Why?”

“Do you have Akaashi-san’s number?”

“Oh, no,” Kuroo said. “I don’t have it but I’m sure I could ask Kōtarō for it,” Kuroo told him. “I assume this is about presenting?” He asked, wrapping his arms around Kenma’s waist as they laid back on the couch.

Kenma nodded. “I wanted to ask him a few things about when he presented and maybe talk to him about a few other things,” Kenma told Kuroo. The vagueness bothered Kuroo a bit but he knew that Kenma probably wanted to learn about his dynamic on his own.

“I’ll text Kō later,” Kuroo responded. “I’m sure Akaashi-chan would actually benefit from being able to talk to another Omega,” Kuroo stated. Kenma just nodded, returning his head to Kuroo’s chest and letting the familiar purr lure him into sleep.

~~~

“Akaashi-san!” Kenma called out, walking over to the table in the cafe that they had met up at. He walked over to the booth that Akaashi was sitting in and instantly noticed how the Omega absolutely reeked of Alpha. “Bokuto-san scented you?”

“Just as Kuroo did for you,” Keiji nodded. Kenma let out a hum as he sat down.

“So,” Keiji started. “You presented about two weeks ago?”

“Yeah,” Kenma replied. “I didn’t really expect it to happen,”

“Neither did I when I presented,” Keiji replied. “It tends to happen out of nowhere,”

“How did you feel when you presented, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t,” Keiji confirmed.

“Where were you? How did it happen?”

“It happened while I was at home,” Keiji told him. “I presented only days after starting my first year of high school. I wasn’t even 16 yet and it didn’t sit well with my father. My mother had to watch as he beat me day and night.” Keiji told him.

“He did that to you?”

“He did,” Keiji confirmed, “Until Bokuto-san stepped in. He took me from my home, he made sure I was healthy and safe, all without knowing that I was actually an Omega,”

“When did he find out?”

“Almost a year after I presented,” Keiji admitted. “My father had me drugged up on scent blockers and heat suppressants and I continued to take them after Bokuto-san took me in,” He admitted.

“Why did you continue to take them? Kuroo told me that most of the time they make an Omega feel weird,”

“I was scared, I suppose,” Keiji admitted. “Bokuto-san finding out that I was an Omega used to be a terrifying thought. I wasn’t sure if he would look down on me the way that the Beta’s look at us.”

“And he didn’t?”

“Not even for a second,” Keiji assured. “Bokuto-san was always someone who was supportive and filled with compassion for other people. He has a plan for our future, the future of all Alphas and Omegas. He loves me for me, he loves me the way Alphas and Omegas love each other. He wants to change the world, to better our lives, the lives of everyone,”

“What is he planning on doing?” Kenma asked.

“Well, he wants to play for the National Volleyball team,” Keiji said. “Once he’s there, he’s going to openly announce that he’s an Alpha, and make sure that all Alphas and Omegas have someone they can look up to, that they have someone who will support them,” Keiji explained.

“I want to do something like that,” Kenma said without thinking. Changing the way the world looks at the dynamics wasn’t something he had thought of before, but it just made so much sense. “Our generation seems to be presenting left and right,” Kenma told Akaashi once he noticed the other setter’s look.

“They are,” He confirmed.

“I think it’s our responsibility to make sure that those younger than us know that there are people who will support them because... dynamics… they aren’t a choice. We didn’t choose this, but I’m proud to be an Omega, and I want those who present to be just as proud,”

“Then join our pack,” Keiji said. “Bokuto-san told me he wants to form a pack, one that plans to change the world the way he plans to. We can all send our message in any way that we can, any way that we want,” Keiji told him. “It’d be nice to have some close friends be part of it,”

“I can talk to Kuroo,” Kenma told him.

“So, is there anything else you wanted to talk about, specifically?”

“Yeah, actually…”

~~~

“Kuro?” Kenma called out as he walked back into the house. “Kuro! I’m back!” 

Kuroo suddenly popped out of the kitchen, swooping up Kenma and scenting him. Kenma let out a giggle, then started to purr. Kuroo responded in kind, his own purr erupting through the house. “Hey, Kitten! How was your day with Akaashi-chan?”

“It was good,” Kenma replied. “He invited me to join his and Bokuto’s pack,” Kenma said.

“Their pack?” Kuroo asked.

“They want to form a pack to help people presenting know that they have support, that while the world may not accept them, that some people will,” Kenma replied. “I never realized just how important it was to change the views of Alphas and Omegas. There are so many who are getting disowned, kicked out, abused, Kuroo,”

“And you want to help?”

“I do,” Kenma nodded. “While our parents don’t care, others aren’t so fortunate, including Bokuto-san and Akaashi-san,”

“So you know then?”

“I do,”

“Well, looks like we’re joining their pack, then,” Kuroo said with a grin. 

“I never knew that Bokuto-san had such a way with words,” Kenma thought aloud.

“What do you mean?”

“Akaashi-san told me about the conversation Bokuto-san had with him when he found out that he was an Omega,” Kenma said. “They were talking about how Bokuto wanted to change the world, and he had said ‘We won’t be Hidden In Their Shadows forever, we will change the world and we’ll do it together,’”

“You’re right,” Kuroo said. “I’ve never heard Kōtarō talk like that… and yet… it still seems like something he would say,”

“It does,” Kenma confirmed, moving to his couch and grabbing the gaming controller. He booted up Minecraft and waited for Kuroo to inevitably wrap himself around Kenma and rub his nose on Kenma’s shoulder near his scent gland.

~~~

After a long talk, Kuroo and Kenma officially joined Akaashi and Bokuto’s pack. This involved pack scenting which surprisingly enough felt completely natural to do with his best friend. Bokuto was an Alpha and while Kuroo was definitely more dominant in an intimidating light, Bokuto was still a hard person to try to command.

For this reason, it was decided that Bokuto would be leading the pack. It was the obvious choice, especially because he’d been the one to want to start the pack in the first place. Bokuto would in the end decide who else would join the pack but other than that, Kuroo, Kenma, and Akaashi were free to invite anyone they wanted to present themselves for Bokuto’s approval.

They were all excited to expand the pack with people who wanted to make a difference, with those who’d fight against a majority to get equal representation and support from the populous. They all had a long journey ahead but with a pack, they’d be so much stronger.

~~~

“Kitten?” Kuroo called. “Kitten!”

“Kuro?” Kenma asked.

“Kitten!” Kuroo once again called, finally finding Kenma in his room with his PSP. “You’re going to be late to your appointment!” He said. “Akaashi went to great lengths to get you in to see his doctor, there aren’t very many Omegan doctors accepting new patients, you know.”

“I know, I know, Kuro,” Kenma said, standing with his game and walking through the door. “Let’s go,”

“You’re not going to change?” 

“No,”

“Alright,” Kuroo said. “Let's get you to the car,”

~~~

Kenma’s leg was bobbing up and down as he anxiously awaited for his appointment to start. Kuroo was next to him releasing his usual, calming pheromones. Kenma himself was releasing a pheromone that smelled of nothing more than pure anxiety.

All of the Omegas and Alphas in the office were reacting, Omegas releasing a calming scent and some Alphas were buried against their own Omega. “Kouzume, Kenma?” The nurse called out. 

Kenma froze, eyes wide. He was next. “C’mon, Kitten,” Kuroo urged, hand on his back to help him stand. “It’s alright,” He walked over to the nurse, a steady stream of nervous pheromones releasing.

“He’s going to need to calm his pheromones once he’s in the back. It’ll upset the other patients,” The nurse told them gently.

“I can try to calm him,” Kuroo replied. “Just give me a minute?” The nurse nodded, letting Kuroo pull the smaller Omega a bit away from the doors. “Kitten, relax,” Kuroo said. “It’s just like any other doctor’s appointment,”

Kuroo knew that Kenma didn’t like any type of doctor, especially when it came to appointments and hospitals. He’d have to calm Kenma down so that the doctor could get his job done. Kuroo just pulled Kenma to him, aggressively scenting the young Omega. Soon enough, Kenma was dazed, slightly scent drunk, and completely free of his previous nervousness. 

Kuroo then walked him back over to the nurse who just smiled and led them into the back of the office. She took his height and weight then led them to a private exam room. The asked the basic questions and then left with a “The doctor will be in with you shortly,”

~~~

When the doctor finally came in, Kenma was still out of it on Kuroo’s scent. “That’s some strong Alpha pheromones I smell coming off this young Omega,” she said. “Am I to assume you’re his Alpha?” She turned to Kuroo.

“I am,” He confirmed with a smirk, challenging her with a wave of his scent.

“Relax,” she replied in kind. “It’s good to see such a strong bond between the two of you,” 

“It is?” Kuroo asked.

“You were able to calm him down with merely your scent,” She nodded. “He’s scent drunk right now, which is rare for unbonded Alphas and Omegas,” She told him. “It will help him be more compliant and relaxed through this process. I know how scary it can be,”

“So are you Akaashi-san’s doctor?” Kuroo asked.

“I am,” She replied. “You’re Omega is in good hands, so let’s get started,”

~~~

Kenma walked out of the office with a lollipop in hand. It was a treat for Omegas that had been given to him at the end of his doctor’s visit. They’d really only talked and done very basic examinations to start with. Eventually, they would become more in depth but it was customary to start with just talking to a new doctor.

Kenma smiled as he ate his treat, still slightly scent drunk and dazed. Kuroo just smiled and let out a bit of a laugh. His Omega was the most precious thing he’d ever seen. He was happy that Kenma was able to get through his appointment without being upset, though. Kuroo had even liked the doctor, his Alpha hadn’t put up a protest at someone being so close to Kenma. 

~~~

Kuroo sighed happily, nuzzling Kenma’s hair with his nose. The Omega was sleeping after his appointment, still feeling the effects of Kuroo’s aggressive scenting prior to said appointment. He hadn’t ever heard of being ‘scent drunk’ before the appointment today and he’d talked with the doctor about it for a good portion of the appointment.

He’d learned that it was only possible when an Alpha and Omega had a deep connection, one that their dynamics had to recognize. He was told to be more careful when scenting, especially when at school. Being scent drunk all the time was clearly not healthy so he’d have to learn to reel in his scent a bit more, especially when it came to scenting.

It was a work in progress, Kuroo’s Alpha specifically liked to make sure that Kenma always smelled heavily of dominant Alpha. Once Kenma had his full mind back, he was sure that he’d get a lecture about getting Kenma scent drunk, especially because he was sure it’d have a few unforeseen side effects. 

~~~

When Kenma woke up he had a slight headache and he couldn’t really remember how he’d fallen asleep. On that track, he couldn’t really remember anything after arriving at the doctor’s office. “Kuro?” He called, getting up from the bed to wander the house.

Kuroo’s scent was strong, his headache pounding in response, “ugh,”

“Kitten?” Kuroo asked, “Are you okay?”

“Your scent is making my head hurt,” Kenma replied quietly. “Why is it doing that?”

“The doctor said that might happen after…” Kuroo mumbled. “Kitten, I accidentally got you a bit scent drunk before your appointment,” He admitted.

“Scent drunk?” Kenma asked. “What is that?”

“Basically like being drunk on alcohol, except my scent is what caused the symptoms.”

“How’’d you do that? It's never happened before,”

“It was the aggressive scenting,” Kuroo told him. “I was just trying to calm you down but you weren’t responding, I guess I went a little too far,”

Kenma didn’t say anything. He was a little busy trying not to throw up to actually respond.

“You okay, Kitten?” Kenma shook his head, going pale before he scampered off to the bathroom. Kuroo followed in time to see Kenma throw up, “I’m sorry, Kitten, can I help?” Kenma just shook his head. Kuroo was the one causing his nausea, he wasn’t sure that he could honestly do anything to help.

Kuroo just looked to Kenma who was curled around the toilet bowl. He thought back to the conversation with the doctor, ‘Your scent might make him feel nauseous or cause him to get sick for a while after being scent drunk. Try to surround him with other smells he finds pleasing. Make sure they’re delicate so they do not overwhelm him,’ she had told him.

What were some other scents Kenma liked? Did Kenma still have a stock of his favorite candles in the closet? He moved to look, grabbing an armful and arranging them throughout the house. He set out dozens by the time he was done, lighting them along the way. The smell was delicate and yet it overpowered Kuroo’s naturally strong scent.

Soon enough Kenma was waddling out of the bathroom, sniffing at the air and letting out a sigh. “Better, Kitten?” Kenma nodded. He waddled over to the couch and wrapped himself up in his blankets, “Kitten, that probably smells like me, maybe you should use one that just got washed?” 

“No, it’s fine,” He replied, moving to play his games.

“Do you want some soup? It’s pretty cold today so I figured that would warm us up after a day walking in the cold,”

Kenma nodded, completely tuned into his Minecraft.

~~~

It’s been weeks since Kenma’s first appointment with his Omegan doctor and he’d been on Birth control to help regulate seeming as he didn’t want scent blockers or heat suppressants. Kuroo could smell a difference in Kenma’s scent and he knew what it meant.

Kenma was getting close to his first heat. Kenma himself probably hadn’t noticed, he probably had honestly forgotten about the fact that he would go into a heat now. His scent was turning sickly sweet, Kuroo instantly knowing that it meant Kenma was going into preheat.

“Kitten?” Kuroo asked quietly, “I think you’re going into preheat,”

“Preheat?”

“It’s the phase before you go into heat,” Kuroo said. “We talked about this with the doctor, remember?”

“Kind of?” Kenma replied. Kuroo knew that meant that Kenma probably didn’t remember most of what was said during that meeting. Kenma had a habit of forgetting what he didn’t want to remember.

“You’ll have to let the school know,” Kuroo told him. “You’ll be in full heat by midday tomorrow by the smell of you. They won’t allow you in school while you’re in heat,”

“Is it going to be like when you’re on your rut?”

“Probably, just a little bit different,” Kuroo admitted. 

“Will you stay with me?” Kenma asked.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Kitten,” Kuroo admitted. “I don’t want to hurt you,”

“I want you to stay with me, Kuro,” Kenma insisted. “We can be mates, now, don’t you want to stay with me?”

“Of course I do,” Kuroo said, moving to hug the upset Omega. “I just don’t want to lose control and hurt you. I don’t like the idea that I could cause you pain,”

“You won’t hurt me,” Kenma told him. “I know it’s scary, I’m scared too. I’m more scared to go through it all alone, though, Kuro.” Kenma told him. “I’m also sad that you wouldn’t ever let me join you when you went into your ruts. I know they can be painful, for you especially.”

“It would be more painful to see you hurt because of something I did,” Kuroo replied firmly.

“I’m not going to break, Kuro. You won’t break me. You keep me together. You make me feel alive. I just want to be there with you like you’re there for me. Please, stay?”

“Alright, Kitten,” Kuroo said. “I still don’t like this idea,” 

“Once you see that I’m not going to break, you’ll change your tune,” Kenma replied, scampering away before Kuroo could really change his mind.

~~~

Kenma was locked in his room, shuffling around in only one of Kuroo’s t-shirts. Kuroo wasn’t back from school yet but agreed to stay with Kenma for the rest of the week until his first heat was over. 

The preheat was long gone and Kenma was fully into his first heat by about 2 pm. Kuroo wouldn’t be back until late. He was still captain of the Nekoma Boys Volleyball Club so he had to show up to practice at least to inform the coaches of why he and Kenma would be absent for the next few days.

Kenma was getting impatient for his lover’s return. He missed Kuroo’s scent. He missed the purring. He missed Kuroo’s warmth. Then again, Kenma was absolutely dying of heat right now so as much as he missed said heat, he wasn’t cold, either.

Within the hour, Kenma started to get anxious. He hadn’t been this long without his Alpha near since he presented. It was starting to really get to him. He pulled all the blankets from the couches and his closet, dumping them onto the bed.

He grabbed Kuroo’s clothes from the dresser, his Nekoma jacket that he’d forgotten when he’d left that morning as well as a few of his other favorite jackets. Everything piled high onto the bed, he started to spread everything out, creating a nest Big enough for him and Kuroo to lay in.

Once he was finished, he once again grabbed for Kuroo’s Nekoma jacket. It smelled the heaviest of Alpha- of Kuroo. He clutched onto that jacket, knots in his stomach and he burned with heat.

He closed his watering eyes, just hoping that Kuroo would be home soon to help the pain go away.

~~~

When Kuroo walked into the house, he could instantly smell Kenma’s heat. It was subtle- like he hadn’t really been through the house much and yet, still potent. Kuroo was sure Kenma had spent practically all day in his room.

He was thankful that he’d gone to school today, it had given him time to text Bokuto to ask how he’d handled Keiji when he found the Omega in heat. It was a simple trick- an Alpha Command- yet Kuroo wasn’t sure he’d be able to control HIMSELF around Kenma. 

He was sure that Kenma would be out of it because of the heat hormones, and yet he was probably more in control of himself than Kuroo has ever been- especially when driven by hormones.

He put his bag down in the entryway and walked toward the bedroom. The scent got stronger the closer he was. Before he could enter the room he thought better of actually going into the bedroom, walking into the bathroom.

He took a shower first, hoping that the water would help wash his instincts away- the ones that were driving him mad- the ones telling him to claim and mark up his Omega. The ones that were whipping through his head with every dirty idea he’d probably ever thought about Kenma.

~~~

“Kitten?” Kuroo asked, voice tight as he finally opened the bedroom door.

He saw a mound on the bed and his heart melted a bit. Kenma had made a NEST. He knew that Omegas nested, especially when in heat or anxious but he never really thought that Kenma would. He supposed it was time to invest in some actually nesting blankets like Bokuto had gotten for Akaashi.

“Kuro?” Kenma asked, voice cracking as he spoke. Kuroo heard him let out a groan and realized that Kenma was in pain. Kuroo knew that Heats and Ruts tended to cause pain but Kuroo didn’t experience anything that seemed to be as excruciating as the pain Kenma seemed to be in as an Omega.

He approached the bed, letting calming pheromones waft around the room. He saw Kenma visibly relax and his muscles loosen. Kenma then held his arms out, inviting Kuroo into the nest. He wasted no time climbing in next to his mate.

Kenma stuck his nose into the crook of his neck instantly, inhaling Kuroo’s scent in big gulps of air. It was like it was the only thing he could actually breathe. Kuroo’s instincts went into overdrive instantly, arousal stirring something deep in his stomach.

Kenma also gave out an aroused scent. 

This was certainly going to be a long couple of days.

~~~

Kuroo laid with Kenma asleep on his shoulder. They’d been in bed for days while Kuroo helped Kenma through his heat. There was one thing that neither of them had expected- nor talked about. 

During the heat of the moment, Kuroo had bonded to Kenma. Kuroo knew that there was nobody else he’d rather bond to but he knew that it was a big step, especially for Kenma and his first heat. 

He was sure Kenma felt the same way, he’d fallen asleep purring louder than Kuroo had ever heard before. That didn’t mean Kuroo’s anxiety wasn’t still there, after all, they hadn’t ever actually talked about bonding before.

“Kuro,” Kenma said sleepily. “Why are you anxious?”

“I bonded with you,” Kuroo admitted.

“And?”

“You’re not mad? We never exactly talked about bonding before, Kenma. It’s a big- and permanent- step.”

“We may not have talked about it but this was inevitable. I wanted to bond with you. You know that’s what I always wanted, long before I actually presented as an Omega. I didn’t want you to end up with anyone else,”

“I know, I just- I feel bad. We really should have discussed it,”

“Honestly, I don’t think a conversation would have changed what happened,” Kenma admitted. “If you didn’t bond with me, I would’ve spent the rest of my heat begging for you to bond me. This way, it happened, I don’t regret it and we can spend the rest of our lives connected deeper than most people ever get to their partners.”

“I love you, Kitten,” Kuroo replied, kissing his forehead.

“I love you too, Kuro,” Kenma replied. “Can we go to sleep now?”

“Yeah, Kitten. Yeah, we can,” Kuroo whispered, his chest rumbling with a low purr. Kenma purred loudly in response, eyes already closed as he dozed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for UshiTen in the next chapter!
> 
> See you soon! ;)


	3. Ushijima and Tendō

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima and Tendō's origins.
> 
> After a vicious attack, Satori moves in with Ushijima. What caused the attack? What were the effects? What will happen between Ushijima and Satori next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had finals for the past week so I finally got around to finishing the chapter. Thankfully I really only had to write the ending, it was mostly wrapped up.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, I worked really hard on this chapter and I had the idea for this storyline for over a week before I could actually start writing it.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“Alphas- 25% of the world’s population. Omegas- 15% of the world’s population. Betas- 60% of the world’s population. While the rates increase slowly as the generations continue, the rarity of omega and alpha children are still frowned upon. This affects the children who are born with their secondary gender. They are raised in an environment that shuns the idea of a change in human biology. Betas are the majority- many are raised to be disgusted by the new change, they are unaware that the world is developing around them. That development won’t stop because of their hatred, nor will it change the fact that people cannot choose to present with a secondary gender. Intolerance toward those with secondary genders gets worse even as their numbers grow. Inevitably, one day- soon or in the future… a whole generation will present with secondary genders. What will happen to our youth if the views on Alpha, Omega, and Beta dynamics doesn’t change?”

~~~

Satori was on his knees, one hand holding him up, the other wrapped around his aching stomach. Tears were leaking from his eyes. He was out of breath, coughing in an attempt to catch his breath. “Please,” He begged. “Please, s-stop.”

Another kick to his stomach. He coughed again, hand shooting up from its place on his stomach as he felt something leak from his mouth. When he looked, through his teary vision his hand was covered in red. He had just coughed up blood.

“Good for nothing monster,” his father yelled angrily. Punches and kicks rained down on him and his body burned with pain. It felt like it went on for years, as he struggled to keep himself from fully collapsing on the ground.

It took him a second to realize that eventually, the fists and feet connecting to his face and ribs… they all stopped. He sat there shaking, breathing, coughing- trying to catch his breath. His eyes were still dripping with tears. His body throbbed.

At this point, his body was in so much pain. He was terrified. He wanted to move. He wanted to run. He wanted to get out of the house and never return. Even if he could move, he wasn’t sure his body had the strength to actually get away.

He looked up to the doorway when the shadow of his father returned. This time, his eyes widened. His father was always an angry man, he always had been- but Tendō had never felt like his safety had been threatened… until today. 

Tendō resigned- just gave in. He just let his head drop, head bowed toward the ground. His arms were strained, shaking with the effort it took to keep his upper body from hitting the ground completely. He watched as his tears hit the floor, sitting against the hardwood- almost mocking him.

His father stood before him… with a knife in his right hand.

~~~

Ushijima was walking back from practice. He hadn’t seen Tendō that day and was curious as to what had his teammate missing. He was sure that it was just something as simple as illness and kept on walking.

He would glance at the windows of stores as he passed by them every once in a while, otherwise, he kept his eyes on the ground, hands in his pockets. His usual walk home was normally long, and it tended to give him time to really cool down from the intensity of practice.

He didn’t mind walking through town but he definitely preferred his home and the open land that surrounded it. It was much more natural- peaceful. He glanced around, once again looking at the buildings, the people, into the alleyways.

He paused when his eyes caught onto something unusual. He could see shoes peeking out from behind a dumpster in the alleyway between two apartment buildings. He approached slowly, apprehensively. 

As he got closer more of a body was revealed, curled up into a ball. Brown loafers, purple pants. His breathing picked up. A white jacket with purple accenting. He stared for a moment, taking in the obvious Shiratorizawa uniform. He glanced at the puddle of blood that the boy was laying in then finally focused on the hair.

Bright red, spiked hair. “Tendō?” He asked, running the rest of the way to his friend, kneeling next to him. “Tendō!” he grasped his shoulders. His yell attracted people, pulling them into the alleyway. 

“Someone call an ambulance!” He heard someone shout. He pulled Tendō into his lap, grasping at him desperately. He didn’t realize there were tears running down his face but he could recognize a new feeling spreading through his chest.

A feeling of anxiety and fear was grasping and pulling harshly at his heart.

~~~

“What do we have?” Ushijima heard the doctors speaking as they moved Tendō into the emergency room, headed straight for the ER.

“Juvenile male, about 16, multiple stab wounds, cuts, bruising. Head trauma, respiratory issues,” One of the paramedics read off. “We have him on oxygen,”

“Pulse is weak, he needs a blood transfusion,” the surgeon said. “Get him to the ER now,”

“Tendō!” Ushijima yelled, trying to follow as they took Satori through the doors. A nurse grabbed him before he could continue on his way.

“You can’t go back there,” she insisted. “You’ll need to wait out here. Someone will be right with you to get any information possible.” as soon as she felt him stop pushing forward, she ushered through the doors that Tendō had disappeared behind. 

~~~

Doctors and nurses had approached Ushijima hours ago to get any information he had. He was able to give them his name, Satori Tendō, as well as his blood type to help them get his transfusion sooner. Other than that, he had no updates on Tendō’s condition. 

They had asked after Satori’s parents but Ushijima had just shook his head. Tendō didn’t speak of his family much. He knew nothing of them, and from what it seemed, Tendō didn’t have his phone on him when he ended up in that alley. They had no way to reach his family.

He was worried, he wanted to know what was going on with Tendō. Unfortunately, the last update that he’d gotten was that he was in critical condition and still in surgery. Ushijima couldn’t help but think about the team. 

He’d called their coach and the team had found out. Their group chat was blowing up. They had just started their second year and summer break was almost three months away. How was this going to affect the team? What would Tendō do? Would he be okay? 

He had all these questions but absolutely no answers.

~~~

“Ushijima-chan?” A nurse called out, walking over as he stood. “You’re here for Satori Tendō?” She asked. He nodded, waiting for the nurse to say more. “He’s stable and was moved to a private room. His injuries were severe, and there’s a bit of swelling in his brain from whatever caused his head trauma.” She told him.

“What does that mean?”

“We don’t know how it will affect him,” She replied. “For us to find out we need for him to wake up. Right now he’s still on the anesthetics from the procedure but we are unaware of when he will wake. There’s a list of other injuries, broken left forearm, multiple stab wounds, thankfully none of those punctured any internal organs. He also has shallow cuts that are probably from the same weapon. Those were stitched shut and didn’t tear through any muscle or other tissue.”

“Can I see him?”

“Sure,” She replied. “Right this way.” She started walking and Ushijima followed. “I know you were probably asked this but do you know if we could get in contact with his parents or guardians?”

Ushijima thought for a moment. He didn’t know how to get into contact with them. If Tendō didn’t have anyone who could sign for his release when the time came, he would be put into the system because he was still only a minor.

“My mother is his guardian,” he covered. “She’s out of the country but is coming as soon as possible. I’ll call her and update her on his condition.”

“Great,” the nurse replied. “This is his room,” She said. 

He nodded and walked in with a quiet “Thanks.”

He let out a sigh as the door clicked shut quietly. Tendō had an oxygen mask covering his face, stitches on his arms where Ushijima could see. He had a huge cut stitched closed right above his left eyebrow. There was bruising all over his face, arms and he was sure it looked the same across his legs, back, and abdomen.

He was in terrible condition all over.

Ushijima pulled out his phone. He had a few calls to make.

~~~

Days had gone by and Tendō still hadn’t woken. Ushijima went to practice, school, afternoon practice, and then straight to the hospital. He’d be there for a few hours before finally returning home late into the night.

His mother had come in to visit Tendō, covering for her son’s lies and playing her part. After Tendō woke, he’d spend a few days more in the hospital then be released under Ushijima’s mother’s care.

Ushijima hadn’t heard anything from Satori’s parents. They undoubtedly knew that Tendō had been hospitalized. If they didn’t, they would know that he’d been missing for days. Without the fuss and bother, and them filing for a missing person report, Ushijima could basically guarantee that they didn’t care that he was ‘missing or worse’.

Ushijima burned with anger. He couldn’t wait for Tendō to wake and go home with him and his mother. If Satori’s parents didn’t care enough to look for him, he was sure they were not good enough for Tendō.

~~~

A solid week after Wakatoshi had found Tendō in the alley, every one of his teammates and the coaches had visited, two or three at a time. They all were worried about his condition and the fact that he hadn’t woken yet.

Ushijima was in afternoon practice when his phone rang. It was an unknown number but he picked it up anyway. “Is this Ushijima Wakatoshi?”

“It is,” 

“This is Sendai Memorial Hospital calling about the condition of Satori Tendō,”

“Did something happen?” Ushijima asked, already throwing his things into this duffle and practically running out of practice. The coaches let him leave, knowing just what that call was about.

“Satori-chan woke up just about an hour ago. The doctors immediately moved to check on him but we advise you come to the hospital right away,” she said plainly.

His stomach dropped, “I’m on my way,” He replied, ending the phone call and sprinting his way toward the hospital.

~~~

He ran up to the front desk, slightly out of breath. He’d run the whole way, over two miles just to get to the hospital as fast as he could. “I’m here to see Satori Tendō,” He said. “I got a call that his condition changed,”

“I’ll page the nurse right away,” The lady sitting behind the desk replied.

“Thank you,” he moved to sit down and a few minutes later, the nurse approached. 

“Ushijima-chan?”

“Yes?”

“Follow me,” She said, “I’ll fill you in on the way to Satori-chan’s room.”

“Okay,” He grabbed his duffle and followed the nurse.

They walked through the hallways, “Satori-chan woke up almost two hours ago and was in a panic. Upon examination, it was made clear that he is suffering from a major case of amnesia,”

“He doesn’t remember the attack?”

“He doesn’t seem to remember anything… including his own name,” she told him. “He also hasn’t said anything since he’s woken. We are unsure if this is a side effect of his head trauma or a way of dealing with it,”

Ushijima paused. “We can try to see if people, voices, phrases, or even objects can help jog his memory but as far as we can see, it’s nothing permanent. Though his recollection of his memories all depends on him,” she continued. 

Ushijima walked into the hospital room, his stomach-turning. What would Tendō do? What would he say? Would he say anything? How would this really affect how he normally behaves? Would it affect his usual behavior?

“Satori-chan, your friend is here to see you,” The doctor told him, taking his leave. “Be gentle with what you say and do,” He warned Wakatoshi before stepping out of the room. Wakatoshi just stood there for a minute. Tendō wasn’t facing him but seemed to be staring out of the window from his bed.

“Tendō?” Ushijima asked quietly. It took a minute to get any type of response. Unfortunately, the response was only Tendō turning his head to look at him.

“I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi,” he replied. “We go to the same school, Shiratorizawa Academy,”

No response.

“We’re on the same volleyball team,”

“Volleyball?” Tendō whispered. Ushijima’s heart sped up. A verbal response!

“Yeah, you’re a middle blocker, I’m the Ace,”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” Satori replied. He looked so tired for someone who had been asleep for a week. Ushijima sighed. 

“We can talk about that later, you look tired. Maybe you should sleep?”

“Where am I going to go?” Tendō asked. “I can’t remember where home is,”

“It’s not with your parents,” Ushijima muttered. Tendō just stared curiously. “You’ll be going back home with me when you’re ready to get discharged. The doctors wanted you to stay for a few more days to let your wounds heal and to observe you to make sure there’s nothing wrong,”

“Okay,” Tendō yawned, groaning a bit as he resettled to lay back a bit more.

~~~

Once Ushijima was sure that Tendō was asleep, he went to find the doctor. He didn’t have to go far, the doctor just about to enter Tendō’s room. “Mr. Ushijima?”

“Tendō spoke to me,” He said blatantly. 

“That’s great. Did it seem like he was having any difficulties speaking or finding his words?”

“No,” Wakatoshi responded. “His personality is completely different but when he spoke, it flowed like normal. He didn’t seem to have any troubles,”

“I’ll have to examine him again once he wakes back up but that is great news! I just need to make sure he’s not having any issues from the head trauma,”

“Okay,”

“Are you staying longer, Mr. Ushijima?”

“Yeah,”

“Alright, visiting hours end at 10 pm but family is always allowed to stay through the night.” Ushijima nodded, following the doctor back into the room and watching as he took notes onto his clipboard, checking the IV and making sure the oxygen was adjusted properly.

The doctor left just as Ushijima started to pull his chair closer to Tendō’s bedside. He let out a sigh, leaning his elbows against the bed and resting his head in his hands. He just looked at Tendō as he slept. He was so still. His body was covered in bandages, he was still on oxygen.

The doctor had told Ushijima that as long as his breathing was steady through the night that they’d take him off oxygen the next morning. He shifted, bringing his hand up and absently running his fingers through Satori’s hair.

He let out a sigh. His hair was soft and Satori nuzzled his head softly against Ushijima’s palm. He startled at that, then relaxed again. He’d loved Tendō for a while but he’d never done anything about it before. 

He didn’t speak much as it was so confessing feelings hadn’t been an easy thought to digest. First, he had to figure them out, and that had taken almost six months, a good half of a year after they had met. 

Confessing was still far too risky, he didn’t know what Tend thought of him. They were closer now that they had been on the team together for a full year but now fate seemed to get in his way. He had wanted to try confessing to Tendō but this had happened and now Tendō barely said anything and didn’t remember who he was.

It just got more complicated than ever.

~~~

Five days later and Tendō was finally able to return home. Ushijima helped him change clothes then offered his own practice jacket for Tendō to wear. Tendō carefully pushed his arms into the sleeves as Wakatoshi held the jacket up, letting out a sigh.

He didn’t say much anymore and that worried Wakatoshi. He was hoping that returning to Ushijima’s house would help him remember something. Or going back to Shiratorizawa. He was going to start going back to school on Monday- in only two days. He was only allowed to go in every other day for a while so that he still had time to recover.

He wasn’t allowed to play volleyball, either. He was on strict orders from the doctors. It was going to be at least a month before he’d be able to play even a single practice match. His recovery would expand through the summer but come time for their 2nd trimester, he’d be back to play for Shiratorizawa.

Ushijima just hoped he’d have his memories by then. 

He was pulled from his thoughts as Tendō grabbed his sleeve, “Ushijima-san? Can we go now?” He asked quietly. It was clear that just being in the hospital made Tendō anxious and Ushijima was more than happy to make that anxiety disappear.

“Yeah,”

~~~

Ushijima placed a bowl of chocolate ice cream in front of Tendō. He just looked at it for a minute. “Don’t you want it? Chocolate ice cream is your favorite,” Ushijima said/ He was trying to be gentle about how he broke any type of information, he didn’t want to overwhelm Tendō.

Satori just shook his head. “No thanks,” He whispered, slowly leaning his head onto his arms. He was half sprawled on the table and looked absolutely exhausted. Ushijima wondered how he’d last at school if this was how he was behaving now.

“Do you want to talk?” Ushijima asked. He wasn’t the best at talking himself but he loved listening, especially when it came to Satori. Nobody had ever appreciated him and Ushijima loved how different he was. Some people called him weird but even if it was true, Ushijima loved every bit of it.

“About?”

“Anything,” Wakatoshi replied. 

“I can’t remember,” Satori said dejectedly. “I don’t remember myself, I don’t remember you, I don’t remember anything. I don’t even remember how I ended up in the hospital,”

“I honestly hope you never do,” Wakatoshi said.

“Why?”

“Because whatever happened… it must have been awful. I’d never want you to relive that. To remember it,” Wakatoshi kept his voice even the whole time he spoke. It seemed to help Tendō calm down and think.

“I guess so,” He replied. “All I know is I’d like to remember at least something.” He sounded frustrated. “I just don’t know why I can’t,”

“It’ll be okay. You’ll remember soon, I’m sure,” Ushijima replied. “Let me show you to the guest bedroom,”

“Didn’t you tell the hospital I lived here? Why am I sleeping in the guest room?”

“Because I lied,” He responded easily.

“Why?”

“Because it was clear that your parents weren’t looking for you and I didn’t want you to be sent to a foster system,” He admitted.

“Oh,” Tendō whispered. “Well thank you,”

“Anytime. Here’s your room,” Ushijima said. “Let me know if you need or want anything, alright?”

“Yeah,” 

~~~

The weekend passed fast, Tendō sleeping through most of it. Finally, it was Monday and both boys were set to return to their school. The team was dying to make sure that Tendō was alright, even those that weren’t particularly fond or close to him.

He wondered how the school would react to seeing Satori’s injuries and cuts. Would they be sympathetic or would they call him a monster even more now? The injuries and cuts were healing and yet present enough and they made it look like Satori had gotten into a serious fight.

Anyone would look and think he was intimidating. However, Ushijima knew the truth. Tendō was weird, sure, but he was also one of the kindest people that Wakatoshi knew. People judged him on his looks, plus the way he was able to play. 

He had intimidated people with his abilities as a middle blocker in middle school. He’d earned the name Guess Monster but Ushijima wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. He didn’t see how people could look at Satori and think he was a monster.

Ushijima walked down the hall to Satori’s room and knocked on the door. No reply came but he opened the door anyway. “Tendō?” He asked. “Are you ready for school?” he looked into the room watching as Tendō struggled with his jacket, trying to get it on his arms.

“Let me help,” Ushijima said, walking into the room to hold the jacket up for him. “Thanks,” He said dejectedly.

“You’re sad?” Ushijima asked.

“I guess so,”

“Why?”

“I can’t seem to do anything without help. I can’t help but feel like this isn't how I’m supposed to be,” Tendō replied.

“It’s not,” Ushijima replied. “But you’ll get there. We’ll do it together,”

“Thank you, Ushijima-kun.”

“I told you to call me Wakatoshi-kun like you always do,”

“Oh yeah,” He smiled a bit. “Thank you, Wakatoshi-kun,”

Ushijima just nodded. Even now, Satori looked absolutely exhausted. How was he going to last all day in school?

~~~

The day was just as bad as Ushijima had expected but Satori’s actions were something he did not. Once they had arrived on the campus, Tendō was practically hiding behind him the whole time, hands clutching Ushijima’s right sleeve.

It confused him until he realized that Tendō was anxious. Tendō hadn’t been anxious around school ever. He had always ignored the bullies that made fun of him even now and yet when it came to seeing the people around the school, he’d hidden behind Wakatoshi.

“Are you alright?” He asked. Tendō didn’t reply, at least not verbally. Ushijima could see the overwhelmed look on his face. “Hey, do you need to step out for a minute?” Tendō shook his head.

“Can we just go to class?”

‘We have morning practice first,” Ushijima replied. “You still want to go and watch, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Tendō replied, clearly just remembering that he’d discussed it with Wakatoshi earlier that week.

“Let’s go then,” he led them to the gym, noticing that a few of their teammates were already there and setting the gym up.

“Satori-chan!” Shirabu yelled. It startled Tendō and instantly Ushijima reacted.

“Quiet down, Shirabu. Don’t overwhelm him,” he said as he felt the grip on his sleeve get tighter. “It’s alright Tendō, this is Shirabu, he’s one of our setters,”

“He already knows that Ushijima-san,” Shirabu replied. “Why is he acting so strange?”

“Coach didn’t tell you?” Ushijima asked. He was sure that they would all have known by now.

“No?” Shirabu replied, the rest of the team walking in from the locker rooms.

“Hey, Tendō’s back!” Semi said. Everyone swarmed the two and Satori turned pale, looking like he was going to be sick.

“Everyone please, back up. You’re overwhelming him,” Ushijima boomed. He spoke loudly and with force, making sure his message came across as serious. Everyone replied, moving back and quieting down in response.

“Do you want them to know?”

“It’ll be hard for them not to, right?” Ushijima nodded. It made no sense to hide Tendō’s memory loss, especially with the major effect it was having on his personality. He was surprised that the coaches hadn’t mentioned it to the team.

“Satori has amnesia,” He stated plainly. 

“How bad?” Semi asked.

“He doesn’t remember anything,”

“From the attack?” Shirabu asked.

“No,” Ushijima replied. “Anything at all,”

“I didn’t even know my own name,” He said quietly from his place behind Ushijima.

“We need to be careful not to overwhelm him then,” Goshiki replied. 

“Exactly,” Wakatoshi said. “The doctor wants us to make sure he’s in a normal routine on the days that he joins us at school. We hope that familiar sounds, experiences, voices, or people will help jog some memories,”

“Well then, let’s get to it,” Soekawa replied. “Set him up on the bench and join is when you’re ready, Ushijima-san.” Ushijima nodded to his vice-captain. He could lead practice for a bit while he made sure that Tendō was settled.

~~~

Ushijima walked to Tendō’s class during lunch hoping that his friend would join him and the team. It was clear that Tendō was anxious about being in separate classes from Wakatoshi but had allowed the older boy to leave to his own class anyway.

When Wakatoshi walked into Satori’s classroom, he overheard a few of the things that were being said around the room. Satori sat by himself, all the way in the back like he normally did but he looked absolutely crushed.

Ushijima heard the whispers around the room, ‘monster’. When he’d approached Tendō, the boy didn’t even react. In fact, he looked lost in something, and by the minute that thing grew more and more terrifying, his eyes dilating and filling with tears.

“Tendō?” Wakatoshi asked. It was clear that he was lost in his head. “Hey, come back here,” He requested, trying to pull Satori from wherever he was. He blinked and turned his head toward the boy standing in front of him.

“When did you get here, Wakatoshi-kun?” He asked.

“Nevermind that,” He replied. “What were you just thinking about? Did you remember something?”

“I don’t know,” Satori replied. It was clear he wasn’t sure but Ushijima also figured he probably didn’t want to talk about it either.

“How about some lunch?” Wakatoshi asked.

“Yeah,” Tendō replied, getting up and following Wakatoshi from his classroom.

“Don’t listen to them,” Wakatoshi told him. “They don’t know anything,”

~~~

Class had been rough for Satori. The teacher had known the basics of what happened so they were being gentle with him but his classmates seemed not to notice the obvious difference. They whispered about him.

He hadn’t been listening until his ears tuned into one word specifically, “monster,” they had whispered. That word triggered something. His eyes dilated and he saw something.

Suddenly, he was looking at the floor. It was clear that one hand was holding him up, the other wrapped around his stomach. He saw tears on the ground. Everything was hazy. Everything except for one thing. “Good for nothing monster,” a voice rang. 

He tensed. His eyes filled with tears. It was overwhelming. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Tendō?” he heard in the distance. “Hey, come back here,” a familiar voice rang, pulling him from his head. He sighed internally as the panic and pain faded. He wasn’t sure what that was but whatever it was, he certainly didn’t like it.

“When did you get here, Wakatoshi-kun?” He asked Wakatoshi, trying to get away from the hazy thoughts.

“Nevermind that,” He replied. “What were you just thinking about? Did you remember something?” He asked. Tendō wasn’t sure. Was it a memory? A nightmare?

“I don’t know,” He said truthfully.

“How about some lunch?”

“Yeah,” he replied, getting up to follow Wakatoshi.

“Don’t listen to them, they don’t know anything,” He heard the Ace whisper.

~~~

Ushijima was carefully giving Tendō a piggyback ride on the way back to his house. The boy had a long day and could barely stand, let alone walk all the way back to where they were staying. He felt bad but kind of elated at having Tendō so close to him.

He heard short breaths in his ear, he could recognize that they were probably caused by pain, “Are you alright?”

“Just sore,” Tendō replied. “Feels like I ran a marathon or something,”

“It’ll get better,” Ushijima promised.

“Yeah,”

~~~

As the weeks passed, Tendō was starting to get his usual energy back. He was able to go to school every day of the week and was even doing some light stretching with the team. He still didn’t have his memories and his personality was more quiet and reserved than it used to be.

He had been to the doctors and to physical therapy and while the doctors were sure that his body was fine, they were more worried about his memory loss at this point. “The longer his memories are gone, the more likely it is that the memory loss will become permanent,” The doctor had told him and Ushijima after one of their visits. “I’m very sorry,”

Tendō hadn’t said anything for over two days after that. Ushijima had told the team, making sure that everyone was kept in the loop. The last thing he needed was someone saying something that could possibly upset Tendō.

“We have a tournament coming up,” Ushijima told him. “Will you be okay to go?”

“Yeah I should be fine,” Tendō replied, watching as Wakatoshi got out the chocolate ice cream.

“Did you want any?” Wakatoshi asked.

“No thanks,” Satori replied.

Ushijima pondered for a minute. Tendō hadn’t eaten chocolate ice cream since before the incident over two months ago. Summer was coming soon and with the hot weather, he remembered how much Tendō really enjoyed the cold dessert. “Are you sure? It’s your favorite,”

“I know,” Tendō replied. “You’ve said that before but I don’t remember,” he said bitterly. “It’s like the ice cream is mocking me,”

“Then take revenge and have some,” Ushijima replied plainly, scooching a small bowl of the dessert in front of Satori.

“You just want me to eat it,” he said suspiciously.

“You’re right. Why not try it though? I’m sure you’ll love it,”

“I don’t doubt you,” Tendō said, finally picking up his spoon and sinking it into the softening ice cream. His tired eyes bore into it, watching as it melted. He knew Ushijima was watching him, there was hardly a time when he didn’t.

Ushijima actually made him feel safe and happy, unlike when he was at school, or even sometimes when he was in practice. He supposed that he could eat the ice cream if it was for Wakatoshi-kun.

He stuck the spoon into his mouth, noting the flavor and how it melted almost instantly. The flavor…

“Satori-chan!” he heard Goshiki yell. He blinked, he was with Goshiki, Wakatoshi, and Semi, all sitting outside at a table of an ice cream parlor. “You’re going to get sick!!”

“How can he eat so much chocolate ice cream?” Semi asked, Wakatoshi just shook his head, eating his own vanilla ice cream silently. 

“I’ll be fine!” He heard his own voice say, “Chocolate ice cream and I have been best friends since I was a kid!” He laughed.

“That’s sad,” Semi replied snarkily. 

“Satori-chan!” Goshiki said again, drawing his attention, “How can you eat so much ice cream all at once?!?” He laughed. Everyone did, and Tendō could feel himself smiling, a light feeling in his chest. He looked to Ushijima, who just gave a small smile, taking another bite of his vanilla ice cream. He felt his heart flutter.

“Tendō?” Someone pulled him back to reality. He blinked, spoon still in his mouth. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Tendō replied, finally setting his spoon back down into the bowl. “Yeah, I’m okay,”

“You zoned out,” Ushijima told him. “What happened?”

“I-” Satori had to think. Was that a memory? “I saw something,”

“What’d you see?” Ushijima asked, leaning onto the counter.

“I… I think it was Semi, Goshiki, you, and I” He said. “At an ice cream parlor?”

“You remembered something?”

“I guess?”

“What happened?”

“Well I heard Goshiki first, he was yelling, saying I was going to get sick and Semi was asking how I could eat so much chocolate ice cream,” He continued after a minute, “I had said that it was my best friend and Semi said that was sad,”

“I remember,” Wakatoshi told him. “That was last summer right after our first trimester had ended. We had just started playing volleyball together but you and Goshiki had wanted ice cream and somehow ended up convincing Semi and I to join you,”

Satori just picked his spoon back up, taking another bite of his ice cream.

“Well, about the tournament,” Wakatoshi changed the subject. “We have your uniform, would you like to wear it? I know you can’t play in the games yet but you’re still part of the team,”

“Yeah,” Satori replied, “That sounds nice,”

~~~

Ushijima let out a sigh. Today was just one of those days where his situation with Tendō really hit. He enjoyed living with his teammate and crush, but Tendōwas just so different without his memories. He somehow seemed even more burdened without them than he had with them. 

Ushijima knew about the bullies. He knew everything. He had thought that Tendō not remembering that torture might have made it easier for him to feel more free and yet… Satori just seemed more down in the dumps.

He understood, it was probably traumatic not knowing anything about who you are. He seemed to dwell on what he was missing so often and yet, Ushijima couldn’t help but think that maybe Tendō was still better off.

He’d move forward from his blank past one day. He had the chance to start fresh, so why did it seem like Satori wasn’t the Tendō that Ushijima had grown to love so much? He thought back to a few months ago, barely two days after he’d found Satori half-dead in the alley.

The school and hospital had been in touch with each other. They had known that Ushijima had lied, that Tendō had a family. The school had tried to contact them. The phone numbers in the records had been disconnected. 

When the school went to Satori’s home address to see if anyone was there, they had found the house abandoned. They had called the police when they looked inside, seeing a puddle of blood through the windows.

When police had gotten there, they had broken the door down. The house was nearly empty, only Tendō’s room left with all of his things. The puddle of blood had been tested, and it matched Satori. The weapon had been found thrown on the floor in the kitchen, blood spatters all over the walls of both rooms. They had found the official crime scene for Tendō’s case. It was not clear that the alley had served as a dumpsite for Tendō’s body, the only problem being that Ushijima had found him in enough time for him to be resuscitated. 

The prints on the weapon had come back as Satori’s father's. Both his father and mother were missing, more than likely having moved away as quickly as possible, trying not to get caught. All of it had made Ushijima’s blood boil.

He’d been contacted and collected Satori’s belongings from the house and had put them into one of the spare rooms. He hadn’t told Satori about them yet, and he wasn’t sure how to. He’d known for two months what had happened. He didn’t want Satori to remember that his family had been the monsters who had done this to him, that they were the real monsters even though everyone had claimed it was Tendō.

He missed how Tendō used to be. He knew that much but it confused him. How could Tendō be so much lighter when he had known that he was bullied, that people had called him a monster? How was being without those memories worse? Did they actually make them who he was? 

~~~

The tournament was in a week, and Ushijima was suddenly out of it. Even Tendō had noticed. “Why do you smell weird?” Satori asked once they were home.

“Smell weird? Do I need to shower?” Ushijima asked in confusion.

“No,” Satori said. “You smell like…” He sniffed the air, “Like fresh soil and a summer breeze,” Tendō admitted. “It’s different than normal, did you change your shampoo?”

“No,” Ushijima replied, completely confused.

“Your body wash?” 

“No,”

“Then why do you smell different?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Wakatoshi replied.

“Weird,” Satori replied.

Ushijima just walked out, noting that the conversation was over. Tendō made his way into his own room as Wakatoshi did the same. Something was going on with his body. He felt hot, feverish and his neck and shoulders were sore.

~~~

Two days later and Ushijima had figured out exactly what was wrong. He had presented as an Alpha over the course of two days. Now, his head was dizzy with a bunch of different scents. There were two main ones in his house that he could smell. 

Both were Satori- he knew that much. The one that came from his current room was a bit bitter, he could smell the sadness, confusion, and anxiety. He wanted so bad to change the scent, to make it return to the scent it should be.

The other scent came from the room that Satori’s belongings were stored in. He walked into the room, closing the door behind him and taking in a big gulp of air. The scent was sweet, a mix of chocolate and vanilla. It was pleasing and happy, completely different from the slightly sour smells that Ushijima got from Satori now.

He grabbed Satori’s purple hoodie from on top of one of the boxes. It had been one he’d taken from Ushijima, and it was his absolute favorite to wear, especially in the third trimester of their first year.

Ushijima inhaled the scent on the article of clothing. It was the most pleasing Omegan scent he ever smelled.

Omega… Wakatoshi thought.

Tendō was an Omega.

Wakatoshi thought deeply and the dots connected. His father had done this… because Tendō had presented. He let out a loud growl. He noticed as his scent went bitter, anger taking over. “Wakatoshi-kun? Are you okay?” He heard Satori ask as he walked into the room.

“I could smell your anger,” He whispered, looking at all the boxes. “What is all of this?”

“You could smell my anger?” Wakatoshi asked.

“Yeah?” Tendō replied. “That sounds weird doesn’t it?” Tendō said, anxiety wafting around the room, souring his scent.

“And you’re anxious,” Wakatoshi replied. “Did you know you were an Omega?”

“A what?”

“An Omega,” Wakatoshi replied. “It’s a sub gender. Lots of people don’t like Alphas or Omegas. The Betas have a prejudice against them, thinking that they’re better.”

“And you’re saying that I’m an Omega?” Satori asked. “How do you know that?”

“Because I can smell it,” Wakatoshi replied. “Because I just presented as an Alpha,” he explained when Satori looked confused. “This scent?” He said, tossing the sweatshirt to Tendō, “It’s yours. Before your accident.”

“Okay?”

“It smells completely different than you do right now,” 

“Oh,” Tendō replied, looking at the sweatshirt. He could smell Wakatoshi all over it now. He could smell the scent that Wakatoshi was referring to, it was chocolate and vanilla and barely there. He slipped it over his head and inhaled deeply. “I like your scent. It’s nice,”

Wakatoshi blushed at that. It was pleasing to hear that the Omega found his scent pleasant. “I like yours too,” He admitted. “It’s sour now but I promise to you, I will help you remember, I will help you find what you are looking for,”

“Thank you, Wakatoshi-kun,” He replied, hugging the Alpha. He felt a slight rumble and pulled away slightly. “Are you purring?”

“I don’t know,” Wakatoshi replied, his cheeks slightly pink. Tendō just smiled brightly and for a second, Ushijima saw the old Tendō, his Tendō.

~~~

Over the next five days, Wakatoshi found himself stuck to Tendō’s side. He scented the Omega constantly, he thought of the attack and it angered him. He would do anything to protect Tendō. Satori was his Omega, what Alpha wouldn’t?

The tournament was upon them and Wakatoshi had scented Tendō aggressively before they made their way into the arena. Tendō wished him luck as the games began, eyes locked on the Ace as he led the team.

“They aren’t playing Guess Monster?” He heard someone from the other team say. “He’s their best blocker, why isn't he in the game?” Satori just sighed. He figured they were talking about him. ‘Guess Monster’. 

He felt the energy. Watched the spiker, watched his eyes. He adjusted his block, leaning to the left. The ball hit his palms and slammed back into the ground. A successful block. He felt the excitement. The crowd was cheering. The energy was overwhelming. He looked over and there was his team, smiling. Wakatoshi sent him a nod and Satori felt his wide grin. “Baki baki ni ore,” He heard himself begin to sing. 

“Nani wō, kokoro wō daiyo,” he whispered. 

“Tendō?” Wakatoshi asked, the team looking at the clearly dazed middle blocker sitting on the bench.

Tendō didn’t respond, only continued. “Konagona nakudake, nani wo? Seishin wō daiyo,”

“Tendō?” Wakatoshi asked again.

“Baki baki..” Tendō whispered, fingers gripping his hair tightly. He closed his eyes tightly, focused on the feeling, on the memory. Everything else around him faded away, “Baki baki, baki baki,”

“Tendō!” Ushijima yelled, finally pulling Satori from his mind. 

“Huh?” 

“What did you remember?” Ushijima asked.

“A match?” Tendō replied, his teammates looking hopefully toward him. “Just blocking, then that song. The noise of the crowd, the energy on the court. The excitement of the game.”

They heard the whistle of the referee, and everyone looked back and forth between the court and Tendō. “We have to play now but we can talk about this after the first game,” Ushijima said.

“Alright,” Tendō nodded.

Tendō hadn’t seen Ushijima play in an official match before but it was completely different than watching him practice. The game was intense, the whole arena filled with energy as Shiratorizawa led the game. He had yet to see Wakatoshi spike.

The game was insane as Tendō watched. He watched the wall go up to block a spike. He saw the one-touch, he saw Shirabu set the ball, and then he saw Wakatoshi’s back. He watched as he ran, then took a giant leap into the air.

His eyes widened. Wakatoshi swung his hand, the ball connected with a loud slap, the air whooshed and he heard the ball break through the triple block. It smashed to the ground with a loud smack, bouncing into the back of the court. 

The crowd roared. Tendō just stared. Something in his mind clicked. Could playing again, in a match like this possibly help him remember something? Just hearing the crowd, seeing the court, feeling the energy had helped him remember something.

“Coach,” Tendō yelled, getting up. “Coach. Put me in the game,”

“Are you sure you’re ready for an official set? You do just fine in the practice matches but official games are far more intense.”

“I’m sure,” Tendō nodded. The coach looked at him then let out a sigh. He called a time, handed Tendō a paddle, and watched as Tendō took the place of one of the newer middle blockers. He was in the front row right now, on the left side. The next point would change his position to the middle, he’d be in the perfect place to block.

Tendō focused on the game. He didn’t care that his team was staring in confusion, he noticed the look on the faces of his opponents. The ball went up and soon enough a spike was coming his way. He’d covered the left side while the other two had taken the right side, blocking out a spiker. 

Unfortunately, they had blocked a side there the ball hadn’t been set to. Tendō focused as the ball flew into the air in his direction, the other team’s Ace jumping to spike. He jumped, he watched and adjusted when he saw the Ace react to his block.

He moved his arms and blocked the cross. The ball hit the other side of the court, completely shut down. His feet landed and everyone watched as he looked at his hands. The energy. The crowd. And then his voice started singing, more out of habit than memory.

“Baki baki ni ore, nani wō,” He said with a smile. “Kokoro wō daiyo,”

“Konagona nikudake!” Goshiki sang with him. “Nani wō! Seishin wō daiyo!” He reflexively high fived Goshiki back when the sorter boy jumped toward him with his hands out. The team all came in with loud cheers. 

“That was great Tendō,” Ushijima said loudly. Tendō looked at him for a minute before smiling. “Thanks, Wakatoshi-kun!” 

The game ended in a landslide. Putting Tendō in as the middle blocker had been effective. Nobody had been expecting to play against Guess Monster when the game started, seeing him sitting on the bench, and yet, he’d been put in and it had managed to throw their headspace.

They had already been worried about Ushijima as he was the best Ace in the country so it had been a relief when they thought Tendō was going to be sitting out. Throwing him in during the second set had really made the team more effective.

“Everyone eat a light lunch and get ready for the next game in the tournament,” they all heard their coach yell. 

“Yes sir!” They all replied. They smiled at Tendō as they walked toward the cafeteria to get some food. Their next game was in a little over two hours and they noted how each of the other matches went into the third sets. All the teams were playing their hardest and Shiratorizawa had won in their second set, a fast win.

~~~

Lunch went by and everyone was bombing Tendō with questions. What did he remember? When did he remember things? How did he feel? Honestly, he could only think of an answer to one of those questions, and clearly, Ushijima could tell. He smelled Wakatoshi’s scent turn irritated.

“Calm down guys,” Wakatoshi demanded. “You’re overwhelming him,” Satori sent him a silent thank you as the team backed up a bit. He knew that they were only excited and concerned for him but sometimes he just felt too overwhelmed.

“Let’s focus on the next game, alright?” Ushijima said. The vice-captain nodded and spoke his agreement. Soon enough the whole conversation was about their opponents and how they played as the team figured out a strategy to face them.

~~~

Another few weeks and Ushijima was finally enjoying the summer with Tendō. The team was practicing daily like normal and Tendō had started practicing every day in every drill they did. He was really on the mend now, only his memories to worry about. 

Wakatoshi could smell Tendō’s scent changing. It was starting to smell more and more like how the boxes in his home smelled. Tendō was close to where he used to be, and it was without his memories- well… most of them.

Tendō had remembered a few things here and there, not all good but not all bad. Ushijima was in most of those memories so he was able to fill in some blanks that Tendō seemed to get stuck on. It was nice to have him remember certain things but Wakatoshi dreaded the thought of Tendō remembering the attack.

~~~

Ushijima walked into the kitchen late one night to see Tendō eating chocolate ice cream. His scent was slightly terrified but mostly upset. He had clearly been asleep, his purple hoodie all wrinkled and his hair sticking out everywhere. 

“Nightmare?” Ushijima asked.

“Of a memory,” Tendō replied. “Kids in school when I was younger. They always made fun of my looks and called me a monster,”

“You’re not,” Wakatoshi replied. “You’re beautiful and they were jealous of you. Of your skill, your mind.” He confirmed.

“I guess,” He took another bite of his ice cream. “I really see why I liked this stuff so much,” He said fondly. 

“It’s just something you’ve liked for as long as I’ve known you,” Wakatoshi said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Satori told him. “It’s not that big of a deal,”

“Then why do you smell scared and upset?”

“I don’t know,” he replied again, softly. He wouldn’t look at Wakatoshi.

“Let’s go,”

“Where are we going?” Satori asked in reply, letting Ushijima drag him from the kitchen after his bowl was in the sink.

“Back to bed,” Wakatoshi said. “You’re sad and need sleep,”

“We already passed my room,” He pointed out.

“You’re sleeping in my room with me tonight,” Wakatoshi told him. He could smell the satisfaction coming off Satori in small waves. He let out a content scent in reply. 

~~~

Tendō woke up to heat curdling in his stomach, his mind foggy. He was instantly panicked, unaware of what was going on with his body. He’d never felt like this before, at least not from what he remembered.

He got up and the pain intensified. He pushed on- going to the kitchen for his ice cream, it had always helped before. He made it to the doorway before he had to lean against it to support himself.

He moved again once the wave of dizziness faded. He got out the ice cream, a bowl, spoon and then moved to get the ice cream scoop. He yanked the drawer open where he knew the scoop was but his eyes landed on something else.

A Japanese style chef’s knife. 

Something flashed in front of his eyes. It was darker, almost impossible to see but there was a light surrounding the… person? It flashed again and again until he finally registered the shape. A person… with the same knife in their hand.

He dropped to the floor, hands keeping him from going face-first into the cold tile. The scene wouldn’t get out of his head. He looked around the kitchen and every second or two the scene would flash in front of his eyes.

That’s when he started to hear his voice and see the scene through his eyes again. His memory.

“Please, please stop,” 

“Good for nothing monster,” his father yelled angrily. Punches and kicks rained down on him and his body burned with pain. It felt like it went on for years, as he struggled to keep himself from fully collapsing on the ground.

It took him a second to realize that eventually, the fists and feet connecting to his face and ribs… they all stopped. He sat there shaking, breathing, coughing- trying to catch his breath. His eyes were still dripping with tears. His body throbbed.

At this point, his body was in so much pain. He was terrified. He wanted to move. He wanted to run. He wanted to get out of the house and never return. Even if he could move, he wasn’t sure his body had the strength to actually get away.

He looked up to the doorway when the shadow of his father returned. This time, his eyes widened. His father was always an angry man, he always had been- but Tendō had never felt like his safety had been threatened… until today. 

Tendō resigned- just gave in. He just let his head drop, head bowed toward the ground. His arms were strained, shaking with the effort it took to keep his upper body from hitting the ground completely. He watched as his tears hit the floor, sitting against the hardwood- almost mocking him.

His father stood before him… with a knife in his right hand. 

His breathing was ragged as he remembered every kick. Every punch. Every cut and stab. His whole body burned but remained awake the whole time. His vision started turning black as the memory faded. His father’s words echoed in his ears, keeping his mind completely wrapped around that memory.

“Good for nothing monster,”

“Tendō?” He heard someone speak. The scent registered but his vision still remained on the scene, on the memory. “Tendō? You’re going into preheat… what are you doing out here getting ice cream?” 

Ushijima walked up to Tendō who was crouched on the ground shaking, sweating, and breathing heavily. He hadn’t responded to anything that Wakatoshi had said, nor did the Omega react to his concerned pheromones. He pulled Tendō up a bit to get him to look in his eyes. 

There was a strange look in them that Ushijima instantly recognized. It was a look that Tendō had been getting every time he’d get memory flashes. Sometimes they were laced with happiness, others it would be sadness.

This time, his eyes were blown, laced with terror as his brain went into overdrive to work and process the returning memory. The look had Ushijima concerned. He knew just what memory would have given Tendō a look like that.

He was remembering the attack. He was re-experiencing all that pain, in explicit detail and it made Ushijima’s blood boil. “Satori~” Wakatoshi crooned. It wasn’t a sound that many Alphas made. It was more commonly used by Omegas, normally to soothe one another. Unfortunately, there were no other Omegas around to help Satori right now and Ushijima had to step up to the plate.

He’d never been good at comforting anyone but as soon as he’d let out that croon, Tendō had reacted slightly. He continued to croon, trying to pull Satori from the memory. He could tell as soon as Satori was back in the present.

The tears soaked his shoulder as Tendō cried and soon enough he was going into a full-blown panic attack. Wakatoshi continued to release his calming pheromones but they didn’t seem to be working. Satori must have been far too overstimulated to really register them.

Eventually, Tendō’s wriggling and crying slowed and his scent started to fade. This should have been settling for Ushijima and yet, the loss of his scent was stirring something in the bottom of Ushijima’s stomach.

It wasn’t normal for an Omega’s scent to fade out and become so dull. When he looked at Tendō’s face, his eyes were glazed over. He wasn’t responding to anything Ushijima did. He panicked and called for an ambulance.

They had arrived quickly and Ushijima had filled the paramedics in on what had happened and what he knew while he climbed into the ambulance. He’d told them of how he woke up to Tendō in preheat but that he’d clearly been out of it. By the time he’d pulled him back from where he was, he was having a panic attack and went unresponsive again. 

Without Tendō’s file, they would have no clue as to why he had been unresponsive the first time. They just hooked him up to oxygen, checked his pulse, and made sure he was stable while they transported him.

~~~

Tendō’s previous doctor walked in almost two hours after running tests. He was still unresponsive and Ushijima was a panicking mess. He’d called the team and Semi and Goshiki instantly went to the hospital to sit with him.

They had been watching as he paced until he paused, noticing the doctor walking in.

“I wish I were seeing you under better terms Mr. Ushijima,” The doctor said. “We have run tests and everything has come back clean, there is just one thing I need to discuss with you,”

“What is it?”

“I assume you’re aware that Satori Tendō is an Omega?”

“I am,” He replied. Semi and Goshiki just stared. They didn’t say anything but they were definitely going to talk to Wakatoshi when he was done speaking with the doctors. 

“It looks like Satori has gone into a Drop,” the doctor continued. “How much do you know about Drops and Omegas?”

“Not much,” he replied easily.

“Well, an Omega will go into a Drop when in serious emotional or physical distress. Normally other Omegas and certain Alphas- a pack really- is the best way to pull them out of it.” The doctor said. “We don’t know what caused him to Drop-”

“I do,” Wakatoshi interrupted. “I think he remembered the attack,” 

“That would very much explain the Drop.” The doctor replied. “I recommend staying with him and trying your pheromones to pull him out of it. Surrounding him with people he knows and loves will likely help. In the future, as rare as it is, I would recommend finding a pack. Mr. Satori now has one Drop on his record so it’s more likely to happen repeatedly. Once an Omega goes into a Drop, they’re more likely to Drop when in distress,”

“I see,” Ushijima said. “I’ll see what I can do,”

“As for other information, I suggest doing some research on Alpha and Omegas. It’ll certainly help especially if you’re his Alpha. You’ll need to know just as much about Omegan physiology as you will about Alphas,”

“I understand,” Ushijima said, then paused. The doctor was walking out and he started to say, “But I’m not his-” the door clicked shut. He turned to see Semi and Goshiki looking at him with very cross expressions.

“You’re angry,” He stated. 

“Of course we are,” Goshiki replied. “You’ve known he’s an Omega for how long? How did you find out? And you didn’t deny that you’re an Alpha?”

“Why does this matter?”

“We’re your friends, we want to know everything so we can support you through everything, you big idiot,” Semi replied more calmly.

“Oh,” Ushijima replied. He looked at them again. Well, they were clearly going to be expecting an explanation so he just sighed and sat down. He watched as they settled, then began to explain everything.

~~~

Ushijima climbed into Satori’s bed in the middle of the night, hoping to get a reaction. Goshiki and Semi were still there and had encouraged him to get close to Tendō after some serious research into their dynamics.

Tendō hadn’t really reacted to Ushijima joining him in the bed, even when that meant being placed on top of him, nose right next to his scent glands. Ushijima was letting out a steady stream of pheromones to express his emotions. He was calm, slightly worried but something else was hinting at his pheromones. 

Affection. That was the main scent he was releasing as Tendō laid on his chest. 

He looked to Semi and Goshiki practically asking what to do next.

“Do something,” Goshiki replied. “Do anything. What do you normally do to calm him down?”

Ushijima thought for a moment before reaching a hand and running in through Tendō’s hair. His fingers brushed Tendō’s left ear and that had received a major reaction. He heard a purr start to erupt through the room, stopping when Ushijima pulled his hand away.

Tendō nuzzled closer slightly, sighing.

“Do that again,” Semi said. “The ear thing,”

Ushijima did as he was told, running his fingers through Tendō’s hair again, vaguely brushing against his ear. Another purr and Satori pressed his nose closer to Ushijima’s throat. This time when Wakatoshi brought his hand directly to Tendō’s ear, brushing his fingers behind it.

Satori let out a loud, continuous purr. He still wasn’t awake but Wakatoshi could see the content smile as he wriggled even closer. It took a minute but Satori finally managed to open his eyes. “Wakatoshi-kun?” He asked, voice filled with exhaustion.

“I’ll get the doctor,” Goshiki said quickly, running from the room. 

Wakatoshi just crushed him in a hug, “Dammit Tendō stop scaring me like this,” He whispered. “I was worried about you,”

“Sorry?” He replied. “What happened?”

“You fell into an Omega Drop,” Semi replied, pulling Tendō’s attention as Wakatoshi started to scent mark him. 

“I don’t know what that means,” Tendō replied, “It’s nice to see you, Semi,” he said, a teasing grin on his face. “I see you’re still attached to Goshiki at the hip,” he squirmed, shaking Ushijima off his shoulder a bit, “Lighten up, Ushiwaka, I’m fine,”

Ushijima propped up at that nickname. He hadn’t heard Tendō call him that since before the accident.

“You remember?”

“I do,” Tendō confirmed. “Everything,” he said darkly. Ushijima’s stomach dropped. Would he be okay?

“Even the attack?” Semi asked.

“Yes,” Tendō told him, “the rest of my memories came back after the memories of the attack. It was all overwhelming and I was overstimulated. I think it was partially going into preheat that made me remember the attack, that and the knife I saw in the drawer while looking for the ice cream scooper.”

“Of course you were going to eat ice cream,”

“Chocolate ice cream is my best friend!” Tendō replied.

“Still sad,” Semi shook his head with a small smile and chuckle.

The doctor walked in with Goshiki and instantly moved to give Tendō a thorough check over.

~~~

Tendō returned home the next morning after a night of observation. By then his body had calmed down enough and his preheat had started to kick in again. Ushijima was affected by it, and Tendō wondered how this was going to go. 

He should really talk to Ushiwaka before he was completely in his heat. 

He approached the stiff Alpha, noting how cute it was that he was trying so hard to hold back,”

“Wakatoshi,” he purred, “I have something to tell you,” he hugged the Alpha from behind.

“What is it, Tendō?”

“Ushiwakaaaaaa,” Tendō whined, “Relax a bit, no need to be so stiff,”

Ushijima didn’t reply and honestly, Satori hadn’t expected him to so he continued on, “I love you, Ushiwaka,” He said gleefully, Ushijima tensed under his hands and words but the air said something completely different.

He could smell the arousal and affection pouring off of Ushijima, “I can smell that,” He teased.

Wakatoshi turned his head to look at Tendō. When their eyes met, Rendō could see how lust had blown his pupils wide. He smirked into Wakatoshi’s back, “That’s an Alpha,” He said, wiggling his eyebrows comically, causing Wakatoshi to respond.

~~~

“You really didn’t go easy, Ushiwaka,” Tendō whined. He was sore all over, especially at his new bonding site. Now that his heat was over, he had more time to focus on the pain rather than being aroused the whole time.

“You handled it,” He replied deadpan, “You also deserved it,”

“Loved every minute of it,” Tendō replied as he watched the back of his Alpha walk out of the room. He knew that he had retreated because of embarrassment and that caused him to leap up and chase after the Alpha.

“Wakatoshi~” he purred.

“No,” he heard Ushijima reply. He smiled, oh yeah… his Alpha was embarrassed. He was going to enjoy every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon! ;)
> 
> Up next: DaiSuga or KageHina


	4. Daichi and Sugawara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi finds out that Sugawara is an Omega even before presenting and it scared the Omega off. After a few days of being missing, Daichi- a now fully presented Alpha will track down his Omega and help him come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DaiSuga was a long time coming. I've just been having some health issues with my back and my pain levels but fuck that I want this to come out! Anyway~ 
> 
> Enjoy~

“Alphas- 25% of the world’s population. Omegas- 15% of the world’s population. Betas- 60% of the world’s population. While the rates increase slowly as the generations continue, the rarity of omega and alpha children are still frowned upon. This affects the children who are born with their secondary gender. They are raised in an environment that shuns the idea of a change in human biology. Betas are the majority- many are raised to be disgusted by the new change, they are unaware that the world is developing around them. That development won’t stop because of their hatred, nor will it change the fact that people cannot choose to present with a secondary gender. Intolerance toward those with secondary genders gets worse even as their numbers grow. Inevitably, one day- soon or in the future… a whole generation will present with secondary genders. What will happen to our youth if the views on Alpha, Omega, and Beta dynamics doesn’t change?”

~~~

Sugawara wandered, shivering. Today had probably been the worst day of his life. He’d been out sick from school for the past three days, and now he knew exactly why he wasn’t feeling well. He had just presented as an Omega. He’d turned 17 weeks ago so he supposed it wasn’t unusual for his age. 

He’d heard of kids presenting left and right, especially the kids in his generation- the ones in high school. He wondered just how the kids younger than him would handle the prejudice, especially if they were on the receiving end of it- like he currently was. 

He’d packed a bag of clothes, his phone, and its charger. His laptop, a few toiletries, and then he was gone. His parents had kicked him out. It wasn’t surprising and yet he was still scared. He didn’t know where to go. He surely could just go to Daichi’s house- but he didn’t want to trouble his friend.

He was sure that the Beta wouldn’t be able to tell that he’d presented. He’d mistakenly told his parents when he’d presented- it was hard to hide when you lived with someone. He couldn’t risk Daichi knowing. He couldn’t risk losing someone so close to him. 

First things first- he’d need to find somewhere safe to sleep. He’d need a job so that he’d be able to pay for food. He was still in his second year of high school. He was playing volleyball. He wondered just how much more he could handle.

He kept walking, looking for somewhere that he could settle in for the night.

MONTHS LATER

Sugawara was at volleyball practice with his team and they were all discussing Daichi and Asahi’s upcoming birthdays. It was the second trimester of their second year now and even the first years, Noya, Ennoshita, Tanaka, Kinoshita, and Narita were excited to celebrate Daichi and Asahi’s birthdays.

“Where should we have the party?” Noya yelled.

“We could have it at my place,” Daichi replied. “If you all insist on having a birthday party, my parents would be fine with hosting. We could do it this Saturday,”

“All right boss man!” Tanaka yelled. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“Damn right!” Noya replied.

“Language,” Sugawara scolded softly. He smiled and enjoyed the presence of friends and the thought of a party. If they were having a party, it was going to branch into the hours of the morning. He’d have a warm house to sleep in for a night at least. He let out a pleased sigh.

~~~

A few days later, Sugawara showed up at Daichi’s place with presents for both him and Asahi. Their birthdays were right after each other, and Asahi was the youngest 2nd year on the team. He was excited for his friend’s birthdays. He knew today was going to be a good day.

He was greeted by Daichi’s mother and led into the house after taking his shoes off in the genkan. He smiled at the sight of everyone in the living room laughing, eating, and drinking. “Hey, guys! Sorry, I’m late!” he said cheerfully. 

“Suga!” Noya yelled happily. Daichi sent him a wave and a smile and everyone else just kept on talking and laughing. He smiled. His team was definitely a rowdy one. He placed the presents for Asahi and Daichi off to the side and joined his team. 

Daichi instantly pulled him into his lap, “Miss you,” Daichi said, Sugawara blushed. It was kind of rare for Daichi to do these things in front of the team, It made Sugawara feel shy and yet it pleased him to know that Daichi liked to show them just what Sugawara was to him.

Suga just settled, getting comfortable. If this is how Daichi wanted to be tonight, Sugawara was more than happy to comply. The party went on as everyone laughed. They talked about volleyball, their crazy coach, they talked about anything that came to mind. Video games, other upcoming birthdays- you name it and they talked about it.

Soon enough Sugawara could feel himself slipping into sleep against Daichi as his boyfriend continued to chat with the others. Kinoshita, Narita, Asahi, and Noya had all passed out a while ago and that left Daichi with Ennoshita and Tanaka to talk with.

“Hey man, I think Suga’s asleep,” Ennoshita said quietly. “Maybe you should take him to your bed?”

“No, that’s alright,” Daichi replied. “I’ll take him up when I go in a bit,” 

“Alright,” Tanaka said. “He sure looks comfortable,” He peeked further at Sugawara who’d wrapped himself up in one of Daichi’s hoodies. His lead leaned against Daichi’s shoulder, nose in his throat.

“Yeah,” Ennoshita whispered. “I don’t think I’ve seen him this at ease in a while,” He recalled. “I wonder what has him so stressed,”

“I don’t know,” Daichi said. “He hasn’t said anything about it,” Daichi ran his fingers through Sugawara’s hair, hand brushing over Sugawara’s ear. They heard a rumble erupt from the sleeping setter. “What the hell was that?”

“I have no idea,” Tanaka replied. “I’ve never heard that sound before,”

“Try that again? Maybe he’ll do it again?” Ennoshita told him.

Daichi nodded, then ran his fingers through Sugawara’s hair again. The same noise erupted from his chest and throat. They all just looked at him as he nuzzled against Daichi’s neck. The sound got louder and Daichi could feel the vibrations coming from Sugawara’s chest.

“It sounds like a cat purring,” Tanaka said.

“It does sound like a purr,” Ennoshita replied.

They all just stared. Soon enough, Sugawara started to stir, clearly feeling the eyes on him. “Why is everyone looking at me?” He mumbled as he wiped at his heavy eyes. Daichi noticed as everyone else who had been asleep finally woke up as they heard more and more chatter.

Everyone was looking toward Daichi and Sugawara as they finally asked the question, “Were you purring?” Ennoshita voiced.

“What?” Sugawara asked, confused and clearly uncomfortable. He slid off of Daichi’s lap, anxious.

“It sounded like you were purring, Suga-chan,” Tanaka said. Everyone looked to Sugawara.

“You presented?” Daichi asked. “That’s the only reason you’d be able to purr like that,”

“No,” Sugawara said, clearly overwhelmed and anxious. Daichi moved closer to reach out a calming hand, watching as Sugawara jumped away. “No. no, no. no,” He shook his head, eyes filling with tears.

Daichi stood up to follow the setter who was slowly backing further and further away like he was getting cornered. Then, he darted, his bag and shoes getting snatched up as he made a run for the door. 

Everyone stared as Daichi chased after Sugawara, “Suga, where are you going? Come back, it’s alright!” he yelled. Suga had just kept going, disappearing into the darkness of the night. He turned to look at everyone.

“We need to find him,” Asahi said.

“We will. He needs to calm down, though,” Ennoshita said.

“We can talk to him tomorrow at practice,” Daichi said with a small smile. “Go back to sleep, everyone,”

~~~

Sugawara didn’t show up to practice. He didn’t come to school once it started back up after the New Years' break. He was just gone. Daichi and the team went out looking for him every day after practice but it never led to anything.

Daichi needed to find his boyfriend. He’d stopped by Sugawara’s house only to find out that they’d kicked him out months ago and hadn’t seen him since. He had fumed at that piece of information. He wondered how Sugawara’s parents- who had always been so kind- could possibly do that to their son. 

“He’s the most gentle and kind person I’ve ever known and you threw him out like trash? How could you do such a thing to your only son?” He’d asked Sugawara’s mother. “You once told me he was your most prized treasure- and you could do this to him? Let him live on the streets? That makes you a horrible mother- and an even more horrible person,” Daichi said, walking backward away from the house. He was still facing Suga’s mother as he said one last thing. “I pity anyone who you claim to love,”

With that last sentence, he walked away. He needed to find Sugawara. There was no way he’d let his boyfriend sleep on the streets any longer. He would have let Sugawara move in if he had only known that Suga’s parents had kicked him out.

Daichi had talked to his mother, explained Sugawara’s situation. “He’s more than welcome here, baby. And- I just want you to know- I would never look at you- or Kōshi- differently just for presenting.”

“I know mom,” Daichi said. “I’m scared. He’s been through so much and he instantly ran when I found out. I don’t want him to fear me knowing. The team and I- we all care for him the same way we did before. I want him to come back home,”

“I know baby,” She told him. “We’ll get him home together,” She said, giving him a hug. “You’re warm-” 

“I feel really hot,” Daichi nodded. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” She said. “You’ll need some sleep if you want that temperature to come down at all,” Daichi just nodded, letting his mother guide him to his room and exhaling when his hot body fell against his cold sheets.

~~~

Three days later he walked back into the gym as a fully presented Alpha. The first thing he did was inform the team. They were all in the club room and he could smell something coming from Sugawara’s locker.

The scent was sweet and clearly Omega. He went over to the locker and sniffed at it. It was a scent that distinctly reminded him of Sugawara. It made sense, it was Sugawara’s locker, he just hadn’t expected the scent to be so- potent. He hadn’t been there in days after all.

“Not only did he present and not tell anyone- but he’s an Omega,” Daichi said sadly. “He’s got to be terrified out there by himself,”

“We’ll find him,” Asahi said. “We all planned to go out and look again, in pairs, like normal,”

Daichi sighed and nodded. “Let's get to practice so we can finish and find him,” Everyone nodded and they all started to head for the gym to set up.

AFTER PRACTICE

Everyone headed out in a big group at first. They were almost to where they would normally split up when Daichi caught a scent. His nostrils flared. It was Sugawara’s scent. Even in the snowy cold of winter, he could smell Sugawara’s scent of chocolate and cinnamon anywhere. 

“He’s this way-” Daichi mumbled before taking off.

“Wait what?” Noya yelled, everyone, yelling after him.

“Wait Daichi!” Ennoshita shouted. They all took off after the Alpha.

“How do you know he’s this way?” Asahi said as he panted. They all stopped at an intersection as Daichi looked around, head whipping back and forth.

“His scent,” Daichi said. “I can smell him. It’s getting more intense,”

“Is that a bad thing?” Tanaka asked.

“I don’t know,” Daichi said, nose raised to the air. “This way!” he took off again, everyone following.

By the time they all stopped running, they were pretty far into the small town. Daichi glanced at each alleyway as they walked. Sugawara’s scent was strong and sickly sweet. Whatever was happening, he was definitely getting closer to the Omega.

~~~

Sugawara was lying in an alley, curled in on himself. He’d known this feeling once before and knew that he was going into heat. What he hadn’t expected was an older Alpha to approach him when he was in distress. 

He couldn’t focus on what the man was saying- only that the touches he felt were making him nauseous. He’d thrown up and yet that still didn’t seem to stop the Alpha. He was distressed, it was clear in his scent and the Alpha wasn’t deterred by the bitter scent in the least.

~~~

Daichi could smell when Sugawara’s scent turned bitter. It had him running again, skidding when he found the right alley. An older man had Sugawara pinned to a brick wall, Suga was flushed pink and huffing. His scent, while bitter from fear- was getting even sweeter. 

He was going into heat. In an alley. Alone, in the dark and cold of winter. 

Daichi saw red. He rushed at the Alpha in the alley, hearing his friends yelling as he tackled the guy to the ground and threw punches. He could sense other movement in the alley and Ennoshita and Tanaka moved to hold him back.

He turned to look at Sugawara who was lying on the ground of the alley, curling tightly in on himself. Asahi was near, grabbing his arm and trying to calm him. His anger wavered. His pack was there to protect his Omega. Now all he had to do was deal with the strange Alpha who had dared to go anywhere near Sugawara.

He turned back to the Alpha with a growl. He moved to start fighting him again and felt Ennoshita and Tanaka’s arms tightening around him, keeping him from moving. “Let go!” He demanded.

“No, you’re going to beat the life out of him,” Tanaka replied.

“Noya already called for the police and an ambulance, Daichi,” Ennoshita said. “You need to calm down,” Daichi’s struggles paused again when he smelled a shift in Suga’s scent. It was getting dull.

“Suga?” Daichi asked, effectively getting out of Ennoshita and Tanaka’s grip to run over to his boyfriend. He was unresponsive. His scent was almost non-existent. “I think he went into a Drop,” Daichi said in a panic.

“A Drop?” Asahi asked. “What’s that?”

“It’s a state Omegas go into when in severe distress. They become unresponsive to pretty much all outside stimuli until they feel safe or at peace,” Daichi explained. “Suga? Sugawara? Hey, can you hear me? It’s me- Daichi,” He started to tear up as the police and ambulance finally showed up.

He leaned protectively over Sugawara as the police neared and carried away Suga’s tormentor. He growled when unrecognizable Beta’s came too close to Sugawara. “Daichi! Let the paramedics do their job,” Asahi said, pulling Daichi off of Sugawara all on his own. “You need to let them take him to the hospital. Calm down,” Asahi said.

“Let me go!” Daichi yelled, trying to get out of his grip. Asahi had both his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. There wasn’t any way that Daichi would be getting out of his grip anytime soon. “Suga!” Daichi let out a croon.

The others registered the noise, unaware of what it was or the effect it could have on Sugawara. Sugawara groaned but didn't otherwise react once the croon hit his ears. He let out a deep breath and he was put into the back of the ambulance. 

“Daichi calm down, we can follow them to the hospital,” Asahi assured. 

“Then put me down and let’s go!” He yelled.

“Someone call Daichi’s mother. Get her to meet us at the hospital,” Asahi said, keeping a hold on Daichi. The Alpha’s mind was completely overwhelmed and he had no intention of letting Daichi go until he was sure the new Alpha was calm.

He walked in the direction that the ambulance was headed, everyone following silently as he carried Daichi, whose feet were kicking slightly as he continued to struggle. “I’ll put you down when you calm down a bit,” Asahi said quietly. 

Normally he wouldn’t dare fight against Daichi- he didn’t have the heart for it but something in him knew that if he didn’t help Daichi get under control that he would come to regret it. “The last thing you need is to get lost in your new instincts,” Asahi told him.

That gave Daichi a pause, eyes widening. His mind had been cloudy since he’d first caught the smell of Sugawara’s scent. His brain was speeding through a thousand thoughts when Daichi finally felt his feet hit the ground.

“See?” Asahi said. “Let’s get to Sugawara, yeah?”

Daichi nodded, letting his group of friends surround him as they all walked toward the hospital. Daichi wanted to run there, and yet he could tell that if Asahi and his friends could somehow sense that he would take off, he wouldn’t be on his feet for a while again.

Once they were close to the hospital, that’s when Daichi started to run again. He ran all the way inside and to the front desk. “I’m here for a boy who was just brought in. He’s my boyfriend and our teammate,” Daichi said as they all filed in behind him. 

The woman at the front looked up, eyes widening at the crowd. “Name?”

“His name is Sugawara Kōshi,” Daichi replied. We watched nervously as the lady typed away at her computer. 

“It looks like doctors are still running tests on him. I can page a doctor to come out and talk with you once they have everything settled,”

“We have information that could be helpful for the doctors to know,” Asahi told her, “It could shed some light on his condition,”

“I’ll page them right away, then,” She replied. She picked up the phone and spoke into the speaker, calling for Sugawara’s attending physician to meet her at the front desk. Everyone moved to sit down as they watched doctors come in and out of doors around the building.

Soon enough, a doctor approached the front table and was pointed in their direction. “I’m Sugawara Kōshi’s attending physician here at Miyagi General Hospital,” He introduced.

“I’m Daichi Sawamura, and this is my team,” He replied. “Kōshi is my boyfriend and our teammate. We were the ones to find him in the alley,” 

“You were lucky,” The doctor replied, looking at his files. “Mr. Sugawara is currently unresponsive to any of the stimuli we have exposed him to. We’ve run a few tests and a rape kit. I’ll let you know of the results as soon as they are finished,”

“I think Sugawara is in an Omegan Drop,” Daichi told him.

The doctor sighed as he looked to the young Alpha. “Let’s move this to a private room.” He replied, walking them to Sugawara’s private room. Daichi just looked at Sugawara, unsure if he was allowed to approach. “Am I to assume that you know this because you are his Alpha?”

“Something like that,” Daichi replied. “All I know for sure is that his scent was sickly sweet when I first encountered it. Like he was going into heat. Then it took on a bitter, fear-filled scent when that strange Alpha approached him. After I got the Alpha off of him, his scent started to go dull, and even now it smells so faint, almost not there at all,”

“If he is in an Omegan Drop, he’ll need to have scents and voices, sounds that he recognizes. Ones that make him feel safe. I’ll let you stay here. Hopefully, your scents and voices will help him come up from the Drop.”

“Okay,” Daichi replied. He finally moved to Sugawara’s side as everyone else crowded the other side of the bed. “He’s so quiet,” Daichi said. Everyone just looked at him. “Even when he was sleeping, Suga always made some sort of noise. Sometimes, he’d be so exhausted that he’d have a small snore. Other times he’d let out a hum or mumble in his sleep. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him sleep so quietly. It’s scary.”

Asahi moved to put his hand on Daichi’s shoulder. “He’s gonna be okay, Daichi. We’ll get him to wake up,”

“I hope you’re right,” Daichi sighed. He looked at his team. “I’m going to try waking him up with my scent,” 

“Will that work? He’s never smelled your scent before. You presented after he disappeared,” Ennoshita asked. Narita and Kinoshita just looked at each other and then back to Daichi, their hands clasped together.

Noya was clinging to Asahi, his nerves probably shot to hell. Asahi just had his hand on Noya’s shoulder, hoping to bring him comfort. “I don’t know,” Daichi said. “He’ll recognize my voice, so maybe he’ll connect it with my scent.”

“How did you know that it was Sugawara’s scent out on the street?” Tanaka asked. 

“Well, his locker had that strong scent,” Daichi admitted. “I guess even when I smelled it for the first time it just automatically made me think of Sugawara. It was a scent that was distinctly… him…” Daichi tried to explain.

“Maybe he’ll get the same thing from your scent?” Noya said.

“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Daichi replied. He sat down in the chair at Sugawara’s bedside and grabbed his hand. He started to let out his scent in small waves. The last thing he wanted was to overwhelm the Omega.

Once he was sure his scent wasn’t overwhelming him, he started to release it in bigger, more frequent waves. They all waited silently, watching as Daichi sat there, eyes closed and clearly focused.

They saw Sugawara flinch a bit, shoulders rolling slightly as his head lolled to the side. Sugawara let out a low mumble and that had Daichi’s eyes shooting open. “Suga?” He asked. There wasn’t a reply and he sighed. Daichi got up, moving to get into the bed next to Sugawara. 

“What are you doing?” Asahi asked, nervously rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. 

“I’m going to scent him,” Daichi responded. “I’m tired and I haven't seen him in almost two weeks. I want to be near him,” 

“Makes sense,” Ennoshita replied. “Tanaka lets find someone to help us get some more chairs in here,”

“Right,” Tanaka replied.

“Narita, Kinoshita, want to join us?” Ennoshita said. Both just nodded and left the room. “We’ll give you guys a little privacy.” Daichi just nodded. He focused on the feel of Sugawara against him. It wasn’t the same as when he was sleeping- the Drop made it feel emotionally disconnected.

He was going to change that.

He settled into the bed and pulled Sugawara completely on top of him. They laid chest to chest and Daichi took note to be careful of the oxygen tube that was connected to Sugawara. He ran his hands through Sugawara’s hair and let out a purr of his own. His scent was being released in huge waves.

Asahi and Noya just sat in the chair that Daichi had originally been in, watching as Daichi tried to bring Sugawara back to them. Daichi’s hands ran through Suga’s hair, just like the night he ran off. His hands grazed Sugawara’s ears again and he just let himself be content with his Omega in his embrace.

Now the only thing that could make this better was the missing scent of chocolate and cinnamon. He closed his eyes thinking back to the scent that had wafted from Sugawara’s locker in the club room and the scent he followed when looking for Suga on the street.

He recalled the scent, so potent, so vivid, and for a minute, he thought he could really smell it. It wasn’t until he realized that the scent was getting even stronger that he opened his eyes and investigated. 

“I think he’s waking up,” Asahi pointed out.

“Let’s go find the doctor,” Noya replied, dragging Asahi out of the room as the older boy nodded along.

“Suga?” Daichi whispered he heard a groan in response. He didn’t stop what he was doing for even a second. “Suga, it’s me, Daichi,” He said. “Suga, sweetie, I need you to wake up. Can you wake up for me?” He crooned.

Another drowsy groan. “Sleep,” He heard Sugawara reply in a raspy voice, leaning further into the Alpha. 

“I know babe, I know you’re tired,” Daichi told him. “And you can get some more sleep after the doctor looks at you, I promise, but for now, I need you to wake up and talk with him, okay?” He laid kisses on Sugawara’s forehead.

Sugawara jumped, sitting up completely. “Hey, it’s okay,” Daichi said, pulling Sugawara back against him. “You’re okay,” Daichi assured. “Once your test results come back and the doctor says you can leave, we can go back home. Mom is dying to see you,”

“Home?” Sugawara mumbled in confusion.

“Yeah,” Daichi said. “You’re going to live with me, now. No more sleeping on the streets. Mom was appalled when she heard that you’d been kicked out. Babe, why didn’t you tell me?”

Sugawara didn’t answer, just sniffled, clearly about to cry.

“Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay,” he hugged him tighter. “We don’t have to talk about it if you aren’t ready,” Daichi replied as the doctor walked in, Noya and Asahi behind him. The rest of the group shuffled in, their quest for chairs fulfilled when Daichi saw a few of the hospital staff bring in a few more chairs for everyone.

“Mr. Sugawara Kōshi,” the doctor started. “It’s good to see you awake. I’ve got your test results back,” Suga just looked at the doctor with a small amount of confusion. “Your bloodwork is clean, and your rape kit came back negative. Thankfully, your pack here came in just the right time and stopped that other Alpha before he could go farther.” The doctor told him. “Your heat must have been what caused him to approach you in the first place.”

Sugawara just nodded. “You’ll need to watch him more, now,” the doctor turned to Daichi. “He’s Dropped once, it’ll be more likely to happen now that the bridge to the Drops has been opened. If he gets too stressed or comes into physical or emotional distress, he’ll be more likely to go into a Drop, so you’ll have to watch that,”

“Alright,” Daichi nodded. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Bonding to him will likely help with the anxiety and unease he’s sure to now feel around strange Alpha’s, Beta’s, and other Omegas that you may encounter when out on the streets. Be careful, though. Bonding is a serious and permanent thing, just make sure that you take good care of him,” With that, the doctor started to head toward the door. “I’ll start on his discharge paperwork and he can leave as soon as everything is sorted,”

“Thank you,” Asahi said as he looked to the doctor, then back to Daichi and Sugawara. Sugawara was buried against Daichi, his hands were grasping at the Alpha’s shirt tighter than Asahi ever thinks he’s seen.

“Why’d you leave like that?” Noya asked Suga.

“I’m sorry,” Suga replied. “I just panicked,”

“It’s fine,” Daichi told him. “We’re going home now, so it’s fine,”

Sugawara just nodded and nuzzled against Daichi with a yawn. “Go back to sleep, babe. The discharge papers won't be done for a while. I’ll wake you when it’s time to go, okay?” Sugawara nodded, letting out a quiet, almost unhearable purr.

Daichi purred in response. He noticed how Sugawara stiffened, right before settling further into him with yet another yawn. He fell asleep in a mere couple of minutes and Daichi let out a yawn of his own. He hadn’t realized how tired he was.

It made sense, all his stress and worry of where Suga was and how he was doing had bottled up and now that it had released, he was completely exhausted. Now was as good a time as any to take a small nap, “It’s okay, we’ll wake you when the papers are ready,” Asahi told him. Daichi nodded and let his eyes fall closed.

~~~

Daichi opened the door to his house and let Sugawara walk in first. He looked so nervous- like he wanted to run and Daichi was letting out pheromones to help calm him- and to make him aware that he wasn't going anywhere.

“Well, we’ll leave you to it,” Asahi said. “We’ll see you guys in a few days, yeah?”

“Yeah, we’ll see you later,” Daichi said, waving their friends off as he closed the door. He turned to find Sugawara wrapped in his mother's arms tightly. Sugawara was just standing there crying and Daichi just smiled. “Careful mom, you don’t want to overwhelm him,”

“I know dear, I just missed him,” She cried. “I was worried about you, Kōshi!” 

Daichi just walked up to her and pried Sugawara out of her grip, “How about a hot shower while we get dinner ready?” Sugawara just nodded, letting Daichi lead him around the house. “Join us when you’re ready, okay?”

Daichi disappeared from the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. Sugawara just sighed. Daichi was an Alpha. Did his mother know? Did she know that Sugawara was an Omega? What did Daichi feel about all of this?

Anxiety rolled off of him in waves as he got into the shower.

IN THE KITCHEN

Daichi turned when he could smell Sugawara’s scent turn anxious, almost similar to how his scent had turned bitter with fear. He stuck his nose into the air, making sure that the levels were steady. He’d have to ask Sugawara why he was anxious when he got out of the shower.

He had an assumption as to what it was about but it was a talk they needed to have anyway. He wasn’t going to let the Omega get so anxious and scared that he ran off. Not again, anyway. His mother noticed as he raised his nose to the air and how he took small sniffs as if checking something.

“Everything alright?” She asked.

“I can smell his anxiety,” Daichi replied. “It’s dull because he’s showering but it’s still there,”

She sighed. “I’m learning as much as I can to help you guys get through this but it’s not a quick thing to learn,” She admitted. “What do you mean when you say you can smell his anxiety?”

Daichi just smiled at her. She was doing so much to support them, including reading and learning about their dynamics in the very little spare time she had away from work. It made him happy to know that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Then he thought of how Sugawara’s parents reacted and that feeling turned bitter. He was sad that some kids didn’t get the support that he did, that he wanted Sugawara to experience. “Alpha’s and Omegas have ‘scent glands’, they’re located at the base of the neck.” He started. “Those glands produce pheromones 24/7. You can increase the amount and even decrease the amount that gets secreted after a bit of practice,”

“And what do these pheromones do?”

“They give off a particular scent. If it’s pleasing to an Alpha or an Omega, that means that they are compatible for bonding. The scents are different for every Alpha and Omega. Sugawara’s scent smells like chocolate and cinnamon,” 

“Okay, so how can you smell his anxiety through those scents?”

“Hmm,” Daichi paused to think. “Well, when Sugawara is anxious, his scent changes. Just like when he is scared. When he was scared earlier, his scent went bitter. It’s similar with his anxiety, his scent changes with his feelings. It’s how we know what the other is feeling. There’s baseline scents to know when an Alpha or Omega is happy, content, relaxed. The scent will change with each new emotion.”

“I see,” his mother replied. “I’ll do some more reading this weekend when I’m off. I’d like to know more about everything,” She told him. Daichi just smiled at her and nodded.

“Thank you, Mom,”

“You’re my son, Sawamura,” she said. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to see you happy and healthy,” He just hugged her with a smile. He picked up a quiet pitter-patter of feet and knew that Sugawara was headed their way. His scent, slightly bitter with anxiety, was getting more potent the closer he got.

“Hey, Kōshi,” Daichi’s mother greeted when Sugawara shyly walked into the kitchen. He sent her a small wave and an anxious smile as he took a seat. Daichi could smell the anxiety increasing. He moved to sit behind Sugawara, wrapping his arms around the Omega’s waist. He released a content pheromone, one that had an instant effect on Sugawara.

Daichi could feel as Sugawara sunk into him, relaxing a bit. He let out a smile and rested his chin on Sugawara’s shoulder, nose right near his scent gland. He glowered at it, displeased with the slightly bitter, anxious scent that lingered. 

The longer he sat there, trying to calm Sugawara, nuzzling his nose against Suga’s ear- the more that scent faded and the sweet chocolate and cinnamon scent returned. Daichi’s mother placed a few plates on the table but Daichi didn’t move to his own chair. He was pleased that Sugawara didn’t let that stop him from moving to eat.

They ate in silence for a while as Daichi held tightly onto Sugawara but soon, his mother finally spoke up. “You’re going to be staying here from now on, okay Kōshi? I’m not letting you back onto those streets,”

He nodded silently. 

“Can you… do you think you could tell me what happened? From the beginning?”

Sugawara looked at her anxiously. 

“I just want to understand everything, sweetie. I don’t want to say anything that could trigger you or make you sad. Knowing at least the basics might help. If you aren’t ready, that’s okay. I'll be here when you are,”

“It-it's okay, I can tell you,” he whispered. He placed his chopsticks gently on the table and leaned further into Daichi- if that was even possible. He let the comforting scent of the Alpha lull him a bit, then started to tell his story.

He spoke of how he had presented- how they had thought it was just illness. About his mother and father’s reaction when they had found that he wasn’t sick- that he had presented. They didn’t care if he was an Alpha or an Omega. In their eyes, it didn’t matter. He was a disgrace either way.

He was kicked out. He was barely able to grab his important things before they threw him out of the house- quite literally. His dad had grabbed him by the collar and shoved him out the door. He had told them that he was able to get a part-time job for food money but the hours were shit and there wasn’t much pay. It was quite literally only enough to get him food.

He had slept in alleyways, on park benches, pretty much anywhere he needed. He was able to get his clothes cleaned once every two weeks. He struggled with just about everything. He struggled getting necessities. He struggled with wanting to tell his friends and not knowing how. 

“Kōshi, sweetie, you’ve been through so much. It’s time for you to relax now,” Daichi’s mother said, holding his hands. “You have a home here, I’ll handle everything else. You focus on school and volleyball. It’s time to relax a bit and enjoy everything about being in high school while you still have it, okay?”

Sugawara just nodded.

“Is there anything else I should know?” She asked, directing the question to both boys.

“Well,” Daichi started. “I just remembered something that the doctor said earlier before he discharged Suga. He said something about Omegan Drops, bonding, and packs,”

“Alright,” She said. “I’ll need a bit of an explanation for this,” she replied with a smile. “Let’s get through this together,”

Sugawara just smiled a little and let Daichi do the talking. He just enjoyed the content feeling he got as he listened to Daichi’s voice, the vibration it brought was relaxing to him. “Omegan Drops are a state that Omega’s drop in when they are under severe emotional, mental, or physical distress. The doctor says that once it happens the first time, it’s actually easier for Omegas to Drop more often,”

“Okay, so what happens when an Omega goes into a Drop?”

“Well, they become unresponsive, their eyes get glassy and their scent tends to fade out, almost completely. It takes a safe, recognizable scent, environment, and people the Omega trusts to pull them up from a Drop.”

“Okay,” she took mental notes of everything her son was telling her.

“The doctor recommended forming a pack to make sure that if he ever does go into another Drop, there will be multiple people who are more likely to be able to pull him up. We can form a pack with other Alphas, Omegas, and even Betas,”

“Sounds like you have a few people in mind?”

“The first years, plus Asahi,” Daichi nodded. “We are already really close, and Sugawara felt safe enough to come back up from his Drop with them around.”

“Aren’t they all Betas?” his mother asked.

“I suspect someone on the team is actually close to presenting,” Daichi said. “I think it’s Asahi, though I’m not sure he knows quite yet. The others, if they present or remain Betas, are also more than welcome in the pack. Betas may not have a scent gland, but they all have a vague scent that we can use to tell them apart. I also have the feeling that many of them won’t be Beta’s for much longer,”

“Alright, so Asahi might be presenting? Sounds like he might need some help soon so keep me in the loop on that,” She said. “I think forming this pack will not only be helpful for Kōshi and yourself but for any other of your teammates or schoolmates that might present,”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Daichi said. “At least they’ll have a pack to go to if they don’t have support anywhere else, you know?”

“Okay so how would you form this pack? How would it change your dynamic as friends?”

“The only major difference is a pack has two pack leaders, an Alpha leader, and an Omega leader. Naturally, the Alpha leader is the main leader of the pack. It would mean pack bonding time through scent marking and cuddle piles. They are used to make sure Alphas and Omegas in the pack don’t become touch starved, and some packs live together for the comradery it brings,”

“Okay, so far this makes sense. We can go back and explain what scent marking is later, but continue,”

“It’s basically like a big family. The pack would stick together, blood relations or not. Many are made up of bonded couples. They tend to have between 6 and 12 members but it really depends on the pack,”

“And then the recommendation on Bonding from the doctor? What is that about?”

Daichi blushed a bit when this topic came up, “Bonding is between an Alpha and their chosen Omega. It involves the scent glands and a bonding mark.” Daichi’s mother smirked at this. She knew just why he was so uncomfortable. 

“So this whole chosen mate thing- basically it's when two partners decide to bond?”

“Right. The bonding, like I said, involves the scent glands. An Alpha would bond to an Omega only when both are compatible and willing. There’s the whole ‘fated mates’ thing and then those who can find someone else who is compatible with them for bonding. It’s a permanent bond between an Alpha and Omega. Its deeper than even marriage,”

“I see,” she said. “And the doctor recommended he find an Alpha to bond to?”

Daichi nodded. “It’s not unusual for Alphas and Omegas to bond this early in life. Many find their chosen partner within their first couple of heat cycles. Because of the advantages of the scent glands, pheromones- everything about a relationship between an Alpha and Omega is so much deeper than a regular relationship between Betas. It’s special. Permanent. But it’s also easier to know if you’re truly meant to be together. Many pairs end up very happy together and stay together for the rest of their lives,”

“It sounds beautiful,” she said. She smiled down at Sugawara who at some point in the conversation, had fallen asleep. “And you want to bond with him?”

“I can smell it,” Daichi said. “He’s my fated mate, mom. I would never consider bonding with anyone else. I need to make sure that he’s happy, aware, and willing to bond with me, no matter how long that takes,”

She nodded. “Well if it helps, I know that just by looking at him that he feels the same. I support your decision to bond with him, whenever you guys are ready to take that step. I just want you to be happy and healthy.”

“I know,” Daichi said. “Thank you, mom,”

“What did I say earlier?” She asked.

“I know, I know. But still,” He said. “I’ll let you know when his heat kicks back up,” he said. “It stopped because of the Drop but that just means it is getting pushed off a bit.”

“Just let me know and I’ll stay with a friend for a few days while you two deal with it. I’ll make sure everything you need is stocked up and ready,” She said. “For now, how about you get him up and into bed?”

“Yeah,” Daichi said, lifting Sugawara to carry him. “I don’t want to wake him. Good night, mom,”

“Good night, Sawamura,” 

~~~

Daichi set Suga on his bed gently, then moved to put his own pajamas on. Once he was ready, he fiddled with the blankets and got them both settled beneath them. Suga mumbled and pulled himself almost completely on top of Daichi.

He couldn’t help but smile, a low purr erupting from his chest. He also noticed that his pheromones were radiating through the room- the smell of content Alpha was heavy in the air. Sugawara mumbled in his sleep again and started to let out a purr of his own.

“Sleep, Daichi,” He mumbled.

“I know,” He crooned. “Go back to sleep, babe,” he peppered Suga’s face with kisses and let out a happy sigh with Suga. He closed his eyes. He hadn’t felt this content since before Sugawara had disappeared. The last time he was this happy was actually that night- when Sugawara was sleeping in his lap.

Tonight, he fell asleep at peace, knowing his boyfriend was safe with him. That his Omega was surrounded by his scent and a familiar and safe room. 

~~~

Days passed and Daichi worried about Suga. He wasn’t feeling well, that much was clear- but nothing about his scent gave away that he was in pain. His scent was dull like he was desolate. Daichi understood exactly why but he still didn’t like the effect it was having on Sugawara. 

The Omega was barely getting out of bed and even when he did, he took almost no interest in eating or drinking. He was getting more pale- weaker by the day. Daichi was getting angry at this- at least his Alpha was.

Daichi was saddened and confused but his Alpha was pissed seeing how his Omega was behaving- that he wasn’t getting the care he needed. Some of that anger was directed at Sugawara for his unwillingness to take care of himself. The rest was directed at himself for not pushing to make sure his Omega was okay. He was mad at himself for not taking better care of his Omega.

He was sitting at the table tapping his fingers in worry, the other hand holding his chin up as he frowned. His mother just stared at him in worry. “Maybe you should try again?” she asked gently. “He should really eat something before it gets to the point where he needs to be hospitalized,”

That made Daichi growl. There was no way he was going to sit there and let his Omega wither away to the point of hospitalization- not anymore. He stood up rather aggressively, before storming off to his room where Sugawara hid under the blankets.

Sugawara clearly flinched under the heap of blankets and Daichi knew it was because of the stern and aggressive scent he was putting off. He walked over and yanked the blanket away from Sugawara’s face.

Sugawara’s eyes just watered. He knew what was coming. “You need to eat,” Daichi said sternly. Sugawara’s eyes went a bit glassy and he nodded. He moved to get up but as soon as Daichi saw him struggling to do so, he was there to help the Omega up and to the kitchen.

~~~

As soon as Daichi slammed the door open Sugawara tensed. He could smell the assertiveness in his Alpha. Alpha was mad and Sugawara knew that he was the only reason that such anger was consuming his Alpha.

His insides burned to submit. He didn’t want Daichi to be angry. He didn’t want his Alpha to be angry. When Daichi yanked the covers off his face he was barely able to make eye contact before his eyes started to tear up. He hated when Daichi was upset.

“You need to eat,” He heard his Alpha say. There was something about it that relaxed Sugawara- but also made his Omega move to please. He nodded, eyes glassy and heavy. He felt more relaxed. 

His body felt weird when he tried to move. It was too heavy- he just looked at his Alpha. Daichi moved to help him and Sugawara just wrapped himself around his Alpha with a pleased hum. “I can’t- you need to walk-” He heard Daichi mumble.

~~~

When Daichi moved to help Sugawara walk to the kitchen it didn’t take more than five seconds for the Omega to wrap himself completely around the Alpha. “I can’t- you need to walk-” He sighed out.

Sugawara just squeezed him tighter and started to purr. He sighed again and lifted the Omega up to carry him. Sugawara wrapped his legs around Daichi’s waist and let it happen- purr getting louder as he stuck his nose in Daichi’s neck.

After Daichi had given the Alpha Command and his Omega moved to obey- he felt himself settle and his pheromones regulate back to normal. It had taken him a minute to realize that he’d given an Alpha Command but once he did he just went with the flow.

Sugawara clearly wasn’t going to be letting him go anytime soon so he just lifted the Omega and walked toward the kitchen. Suga had his legs wrapped tightly around Daichi’s waist- almost as if he was trying to support his own weight. Not that he needed to.

Daichi walked into the kitchen and his mother just let out a quiet giggle when she saw Sugawara wrapped around him and purring. “That’s quite the purr he has going,” She commented. 

“He’s taken to doing it more often- sometimes quietly- other times not so quiet.” He replied, sitting down with the Omega in his lap. Sugawara’s legs dangled from the stool as he settled himself chest to chest with Daichi, eyes, and nose buried right in Daichi’s neck- near his scent glands. His hands were clasped tightly in Daichi’s shirt.

“And that?” his mother asked. “He seems to be doing that a lot,”

“Oh, you mean scenting?” Daichi asked.

“Is that what he’s doing?”

“I mean by putting his face there, it has the same effect as if I were to scent him. It helps him calm down and feel at ease,”

“That does make sense,” She replied. “It’s amazing to see just what differences there are between your relationship with each other and how Beta’s work,”

Daichi nodded. His mother really did seem fascinated by their dynamic. It wasn’t absolutely shocking. She was supportive but he never really thought she would be so into learning the things that she was for their sakes.

“I think his heat is coming up, that would explain his desire to be this close any time I walk into the room,” Daichi told her. “I just don’t think he realizes his heat is coming because he’s in his head about whatever is bothering him,”

“Well, we can deal with that when we get him to eat, and then we can talk to him. Right now- he’s clearly not in a state to talk about anything. Why are his eyes all glassy? He’s not going into a Drop is he?” She asked when she was able to pry Sugawara’s head away from Daichi long enough to examine his face a bit.

“That would be because of the Alpha Command I gave him. I didn’t mean to but I was just so upset that he wasn’t eating the way he should be and I guess my Alpha saw that it was the only way to get him up to eat something,”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. You did what you needed to do. Now he can eat and I’m sure that he’ll feel much better once he does,” She kissed Daichi’s forehead before moving back to finish cooking.

~~~

Once Sugawara had eaten and drank a surprising amount of water, he looked more alert and aware. Daichi didn’t let him off his lap even when he moved to take his plate up to the sink. A low growl erupted from his throat when the Omega tried to wiggle away.

That sound made him stop moving almost instantly, head lowering and eyes glued to his hands as he fidgeted. His Omega was still screaming to submit. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to. Daichi’s arms wrapped tighter around him as he rested his chin on Sugawara’s shoulder.

“Kōshi, sweetie, I think we need to have another talk,” Daichi’s mother said. He just nodded. “Why did you stop eating, sweetie?”

Sugawara shrugged. He couldn’t put it into words. He just felt overwhelmed and confused. 

“Okay.” She said. “That’s okay. It’s okay not to know how you feel or why,” She told him. “The thing is, you really shouldn’t stop eating. Even if you don’t feel hungry. We were worried about you. We want you to be healthy and happy.”

Sugawara finally made eye contact with her. She smiled at him, tears in her eyes. “We worry about you,”

Daichi’s content yet worried scent wrapped around him. It was strong enough that it made him feel dizzy. He hated making people worry more than feeling down like this. “Don’t let them win,” He heard Daichi say. It was the first thing that he’d said directly to Sugawara since they’d made it to the kitchen. 

Suga turned his head to look at him. “Don’t let your parents win. Don’t let them think that them giving you up is the end of you. As hard as this is, you’ll soon thrive. You’ll be happy and it won’t be because they are behind you, it’ll be because your real family still stands with you, and always will,”

Sugawara just threw himself further into Daichi’s embrace with a sob. Daichi adjusted him so they were once again chest to chest. He let the Omega break down and get out all his feelings against his shoulder. He ran his fingers through Suga’s hair, making sure his hands brushed against his ears. He knew that it was something that helped the Omega relax- and after a bit of reading he found that it was similar with many other Omegas. There was a bundle of nerves there that reacted only when a person of significance- one who is trusted by the Omega brushed against or touched them.

~~~

It didn’t take long for Sugawara’s heat to kick in again and as promised, Daichi’s mother left the house for a few days while they dealt with his heat. At first, Daichi was able to restrain himself and even do things around the house and make sure Suga was well taken care of.

Eventually, Sugawara had broken that restraint. The pitiful and pain-filled whines that Daichi heard were heartbreaking and he didn’t want to sit around knowing that he could ease that pain. It’s not like they hadn’t talked about this beforehand. 

Suga had wanted to wait a bit but made Daichi promise that if it had become too much that he would help him through it. Daichi had agreed- after all, he knew that the first few heats were painful and unfulfilled, painful heats were just the worst.

They had talked about bonding too, and Suga had assured him that he wanted to bond, that if they did during his heat he would be happy, and if Daichi didn’t bond with him during this heat that he would be okay with that too. He knew that they were going to bond eventually, and that was all that mattered to him.

It was three days of Sugawara clinging to him and intense heat. He made sure to call his mother as soon as Sugawara was out of his heat completely, letting her know that it was safe to come back home. 

It still smelled of Omegan heat, it would take a while for those pheromones to completely air out, even after Suga and Daichi both showered, hoping to dull the smell of pheromones. Daichi’s mother returned in more than enough time to prepare them dinner.

They had told her that it wasn’t necessary, but after three days and not having enough time to prepare their own meals, they weren’t fighting it too hard. They sat down to a nice warm dinner for the first time in days.

Suga had instantly sat in Daichi’s lap, and Daichi noted that it was probably because of the after-heat phase. It was noted that after a heat an Omega would still crave closeness for at least a few hours up to a full day. Sugawara seemed to be an Omega that really craved this closeness- not just in after-heat.

He was always sticking close to Daichi and for some reason, unlike how a Beta would normally react- possibly with a bit of annoyance and wanting a bit of space for themselves- Daichi’s heart and Alpha swelled with love and pride anytime Sugawara forced his way onto Daichi’s lap or ended up laying on top of him on the couch or in bed. He loved how Sugawara could put his nose near his scent glands for hours and just breathe in his scent- one that Daichi was so proud of knowing that it comforted Sugawara.

He tuned back into what was going on- his mother had started asking a question and that had pulled him from his thoughts. “Is that a bonding mark I see?” she had asked. It made them both flinch. 

Sugawara had blushed bright red, and Daichi let out a nervous cough before moving the collar of Sugawara’s shirt to cover the bonding mark. He felt a little violated that someone had seen it- mainly because it was so fresh and a little unexpected- but he knew his mother had the right and needed to know what happened between the two under her care.

“It is,” Daichi replied, a slight blush on his cheeks. Suga was hiding in embarrassment but hadn’t moved from his lap. He’d simply turned and shoved his face into Daichi’s chest. He hugged Suga a bit closer and tried to help calm him down enough so that he’d go back to eating.

His mother let out a slight giggle, “Congratulations,” she said. “I’m so happy for you boys,”

“Thank you, mom,”

“Just keep me updated on everything,” She sent him a wink.

Daichi just smiled at her. He loved his mom. She was going to help them all through this. They were going to be okay- and maybe one day- he’d be able to do the same with his own kids- and anyone else who needed his help for that matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Asahi and Nishinoya!
> 
> See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> See you soon!


End file.
